Canyon Lake, TX

I left Eufaula, OK, headed towards Bandera, TX, for an all singles dance rally. But I stopped for about a week in Canyon Lake, TX, to meet up with some friends.

 

Social time every afternoon.

Gruene Hall

Gruene, TX, boasts having the oldest continuously operating dance hall in the state of Texas. The dance hall has been open since 1878. Of course we came here several times to dance and listen to music. The hall has played to many famous artists, such as George Strait, but also to movies, such as the dance scene by John Travolta in Michael.

 

Next door in Gruene was the Gristmill Restaurant. As you can see we had quite a group come out to eat. We had 3 tables and 21 people and they served all our food at the same time and it was all good and hot. Our waitstaff got good tips.

One day while at Gruene there was a Cobra Car Club visiting. This is just a few of the hundreds of Cobras we saw that day.

Another local place we found to dance was the Midnight Express. They had a live local band which was very good.

Of course the Texas Bluebonnets were blooming everywhere we went.

We went geocaching one day and the cache was in an old stuffed bunny, which was lying on top of some real bones of some poor, long dead animal. Plus, there was a scorpion inside the bunny and he didn't want to come out.

In nearby New Bruanfels we saw where they had taken one of the old manufacturing plants, smoke stacks still standing, and turned it into high class condos.

Water park in the river in New Braunfels

New Braunfels is a cute town with the river running right through downtown. The town has put a water park right down on the riverside, using the river itself to create a "tube shoot". This was their spring break and kids were taking advantage of the warm summer temps, even though the water was cold.

 

On the River Road near New Braunfels we spotted this unusual home. On top is an eagle. It almost looks like a fancy treehouse. The top is gold so it glints in the sunlight and is easily spotted.

One day we decided to go visit LBJs hometown and ranch. Here is his boyhood home. They give tours and have the house restored as it would have been in his childhood.

This is the Texas White House.

LBJ's Ranch, or otherwise known as The Texas White House is outside of town.  Only his study and office is open to the public. It is located about 14 miles west of Johnson, TX, where his boyhood home is located. He actually was born on this ranch, although he grew up in Johnson. They now have a self-guided audio tour for the ranch. You sign in at the state park visitor center and pick up the audio tape. You play it as you drive the tour and it explains what you are seeing. This allows you to pause the tape and get out and spend as much time as you want looking around, unlike the bus tours I understand they used to give.

 

After visiting LBJ's home, we headed into Austin, the capital of Texas.

Barton Springs is a place to swim, picnic and relax in Austin. The springs puts out appx. 27,000,000 gallons a day. But it is not a hot spring.

As you can see, this man has a wet suit on.

Broken Spoke in Austin, TX

Our last place to visit before leaving Austin was The Broken Spoke. Although not as old as the dance hall in Gruene, this is only about 50 years old, it too, has played to many famous country stars. They have a small museum where it has pictures of many of the people who have played there. One of the most famous was Willie Nelson.

 

Here is the dance hall. We did not stay for the dance since it wouldn't start for another several hours, and we still had to drive over an hour back to Canyon Lake. Another time...

There is a scenic drive along a ridge they call the 'The Devils Backbone'. Along the top of the drive was this bar. We stopped and talked to the owners. It also has a dance hall, but is no longer in use. When we asked why we were told the hall was haunted. Strange things kept happening so the dance hall shut down.

Of course I couldn't resist getting to ride on a 'real' dinosaur...

Inside the Natural Bridges Cavern. It was an impressive cavern. It had the most diverse variety of formations and some of the largest rooms I have seen.

Lake Eufaula, OK

Since I have been in Eufaula now for a couple of weeks and will probably be here for at least a few more days, I decided to write about the area. Of course it is in Oklahoma, but it is located in the southeast corner. Lake Eufaula is the largest lake in Oklahoma contained completely inside the state. The lake was created by placing a dam on the Canadian River, 27 miles upstream from where it flows into the Arkansas River. Three rivers in Oklahoma feed this lake, the North and South Canadian Rivers as well as the Deep Fork River. It also has some historical significance as the home of Belle Starr, one the west's notorious female outlaws. The Younger-James gang was also reputed to have one of their hideouts in an area just below where the dam now resides. South of here in Wilberton, OK, is Robbers Cave State Park where there is more evidence of the James Gang hanging out in this area of Oklahoma during his bandit years.

 

My parents home as of 2009

My parents bought a lot on Lake Eufaula when I was only 12 (don't ask how many years ago that was because I'm not telling). Of course it was fully wooded then and since then there has

been a succession of trailer homes prior to a final modular home being placed on the property. In 1994 my parents moved from Oklahoma City to Eufaula after my dad announced he was tired of maintaining 2 homes.

They also have a boat dock on the water, even though they do not have a lake front lot. They say the Corp of Engineers, who own the lake, no longer allow more docks to be added to the existing number, so for anyone who has one, it is a prized possession.

But this is one reason I'm not particularly fond of this lake. It is so large that even a mild wind can bring whitecaps, but when the wind is strong, which is often in Oklahoma, then you have waves like those above.

Here is the main boat dock and marina in town.

Main Street Eufaula, OK. Like many other rural towns it has its share of closed storefronts.

Eufaula claims many famous people, including the Creek poet, Alexander Posey.

 

The town of Eufaula started to develop following the arrival of the Katy Railroad in 1872. But the area was popular with the Creek Indians for many years prior. It has long been a gathering place for the Creeks, holding many Pow Wows and Indian Conferences.

It also boasts as to being the home of many famous OU football players. Several have gone on to play, at least for a season, in the professional football leagues, while J.C. Watts, Jr., became a republican senator for the state of Oklahoma.

 

Not too far from my parents is a COE recreation area. On my way I noticed the sign for an Indian church, the Tuskegee Indian Baptist Church.

As you can see, this church has been around a long time, but I believe the church I photographed is not the original building. There were several older buildings near the current church.

This is Mill Creek Recreation Area. There were several RV sites right on the water. There is also a boat ramp and a nice area to kayak.

A close up of one of the RV sites. And of course if you hold a Golden Age/Access pass it is 1/2 off the daily fee of $7. Can't beat a bargain like that for a waterfront site.

So you don't miss the turn off.

Pictures

I finally downloaded pictures from my camera. Not only are there the pictures from my trip up Apache Trail, but pictures from a memorable birthday party for a friend. I have uploaded pictures from both activities.

This corral has both horses and an ostrich. I always heard ostriches were mean. Maybe horses are just as mean. They don't seem to mind sharing their area anyway.

 

Looking down on Canyon Lake, Arizona. This is supposed to be high desert, but look how green everything is. If you look close you see bits of yellow on the side of the road. These are just some of the wildflowers we saw blooming.

The saloon at Tortilla Flats

My friend, Tom, was celebrating his birthday (we won't say how old) in Tucson last month. Since he has been getting some work done on his knees and some dental work as well, we decided to surprise him with a party using this theme.

Tom getting checked out by his partner.

Tom was well attended by several nurses and doctors.

Another shot of the doctors and nurses.

Notice the different sizes of the pictures. Since I have to reduce the size of my pictures prior to uploading, I was trying out some different sizes. I don't think I like the real small pictures, so I will go back to the larger format in the future.

On the Road Again

Update on my dental work. I went back to Algodones on Saturday morning. In fact, I was there when the dentist arrived. He got me right in, did some more adjustments and less than 1 hour later I walked straight back across the border. And that was over 5 days ago. No more problems. I left Yuma Saturday and returned to Apache Junction. On Sunday I went out to the rodeo grounds for Lost Dutchman Days. Listened to a couple of bands, ate fair food, then left and went shopping. 

But Monday things changed. I'm now in a dispute over my retirement check from Boeing and I'm hoping I will win, but I need my paperwork and it's in storage. But the worst thing was news my mother hurt her leg and was having trouble walking. This is bad because she takes care of my father. So after several calls and a lot of discussion on Wednesday morning I headed back to Eufaula, OK, to help out. A cousin who lives close by has thankfully gone over to stay with them until I get there. And then Tuesday more happened. My youngest son called to let me know the apartment complex where he lives caught fire and burned on Tuesday. Only several apartments actually burned, but they were next to his so there was lots of water damage and smoke damage. And of course everyone in the complex had to find somewhere else to stay since the apartments were no longer liveable with the damage and no utilities. They always say when it rains and pours and boy did it pour down on Monday and Tuesday. But there was the positive. Even during this dispute over my retirement check and even if I lose, I'm still ok. There were friends and family to help my mom. And my son, nor anyone else, was hurt in the fire and he has somewhere to go until he finds a new place to live. There is always a rainbow after a storm, sometimes it's just hard to find.

But before leaving Apache Junction I got to revisit a place I hadn't been for 4 years and got to see some new territory. Max and I took a drive out the Historic Apache Trail from Apache Junction past Tortilla Flats on up to Roosevelt Lake, then returned via Punkin Center and Lake Saguaro. I had been as far as Tortilla Flats 4 years ago, but had not taken the drive the rest of the way to Roosevelt Lake. How beautiful it was. With all the rain and warm temps the cactus and desert flowers think it is later in the spring and are blooming. Everything was green and gorgeous. I have never been in the desert in the spring and have never seen the desert beauty like this before. I did get some pictures but haven't downloaded them off the camera yet. So, they will get uploaded later. 

Tonight I am sitting in a truck stop in Grant, NM. I also drove new territory today coming from Apache Junction through Globe, Show Low and on up to I-40. It was an interesting drive. Some of the steepest and curviest driving I've done yet. But I wasn't in any hurry and would not hesitate to do it again. The Salt River Valley was also pretty. But since my intent is to get to OK quickly, I am now on I-40, along a stretch I have driven several times. Nothing particularly spectacular, just lots of pavement and truckers.

Yuma and dental work

After the dance rally I headed to Yuma for some dental work. While in Costa Rica I cracked a back tooth. I had a dentist in Mesa look at it and she said the one behind it was even in worse shape and wanted $1800 to fix them. Instead I headed to Yuma. Many friends have had their dental work done down here at a fraction of the cost and been well pleased. I had made an appointment 2 weeks ago but when I arrived for my appointment last Tuesday, the dentist had no record of the appointment. I later found out I had called the wrong number for Dr. Ramos. I don't know who I called, but someone had a missed appointment. So I had to wait almost 1 1/2 hours to be seen. But they did the impressions for 2 crowns, ground them down and put on a temporary. One problem I have is a deep bite. Most dentists say I should be wearing a night guard because I grind my teeth and that is what causes them to crack. Oh well! Anyway, I cracked the temporary crown put on last Tuesday. Today they put the permanent crowns on. Needless to say, my mouth is sore and the jury is still out as to whether they are a good fit. I hate having dental work and if my mouth is not sore tomorrow then I am done for this year. Mexico was crowded and even at 11 am it was almost 1 hour to get back across the border. Better than last Tuesday where it took me more than 2 hours when I got in line at 1 pm.

Hiking in Mesa and the Dance Rally in Casa Grande

After getting back from Costa Rica, I got my rig out of storage and proceeded to find a place to sit for a few days to rest and recoup from my trip. I also needed to get some things done to my rig. When traveling it's easy to put off those mundane, but necessary things, such as rig and vehicle maintenance, medical check ups, dental checkups, etc. Well, while in Mesa, I got lots of those things done. But there was also time for some hiking, dancing and getting together for happy hour with friends. 

One hike was Usary Mountain. It has been a warm winter out here and we saw some desert plants blooming which usually don't bloom until April. And it also brought out other denizens of the desert such as rattlesnakes. This guy below was only about 3 ft. long, but he was stretched out sunning just off the path. The first person in our party walked right on by without even seeing the snake. I yelled at the next person who watched for a minute, then breezed on by. The third person went past leaving only me to meander on past. I didn't like it, but the alternative was to be left behind or hike around, which meant more possibilities of meeting his big brother.

 

Rattlesnake on hiking path

But after 10 days I was ready to be moving again. So on to Casa Grande and the Pinal County Fairgrounds for the WIN dance rally. The theme was Route 66 and the decorations were grand. The main dance hall had murals all the way around with Rt. 66 winding its way across from Chicago to Santa Monica. Of course there were hugs and mugs in the morning, circle every afternoon. Some went bowling, I went hiking, and some golfed. But the main purpose was to dance. There were dance lessons during the day and dances with a DJ at night. We had a skit one evening, a pot luck another, and even a dessert pot luck after circle one afternoon.

Line dancing is always fun, but I do seem to be somewhat out of step.

Everybody enjoys the country western dances.

We even learned some new lines dances. This one had 2 women for each guy.

Some of our decorations. This is Rt. 66 going through Springfield, IL.

Picacho Peak

On top of Picacho Peak.

I must say, hiking and climbing to the top of Picacho Peak was the most challenging I've had. It was very steep and there was as much climbing as hiking. We wore gloves since they had wire lines strung to help you climb. It was only a short hike, less than 2 miles to the top, but the elevation change was over 1000 feet.

Costa Rica

I just returned from 3 wonderful weeks in Costa Rica. I will narrate my trip and then pictures will be at the end, not necessarily in the order they were taken. 

Just getting there was an adventure. We were supposed to fly out of Phoenix to Dallas-Ft. Worth, and transfer to our flight to San Jose, Costa Rica. But our flight out of Phoenix was late, we missed our connection in Dallas-Ft. Worth, they only fly out of Dallas-Ft. Worth to Costa Rica 3 times a week, so they rerouted us to Miami. We arrived in Miami about the time we were to arrive in San Jose. The airlines gave us a voucher for a hotel, but we only had about 4 hours before getting up to catch our new flight to San Jose. All in all, we arrived only 12 hours behind schedule. Not too bad. 

We immediately went roaming the downtown area of San Jose after arriving at our hotel. We were only about 5 blocks from the main section of downtown. Our hotel was once a private home which has now been turned into a small hotel. This area of town was once the main residential area of the rich and influential people of San Jose. But like all urban areas, the newer more affluent housing is now moved out of town. While in San Jose we saw the National Museum, many old, historical buildings including a cathedral and many sculptures. San Jose was a pretty town. In fact, I found Costa Rica to be a very clean country. There were the slums, like all places, but overall I found people kept the areas very clean and well kept. We only had 2 nights in San Jose before moving on.

Next stop was Tortuguero National Park. It is famous for its nesting grounds for the green sea turtle. On the way we passed through Braulio Carrillo National Park and saw a Dole Banana plantation. The only way to get to Tortuguero is via boat. The entire park is surrounded by water. It is a rain forest and swamp, next to the Atlantic Ocean, but some years ago, before it was a National Park, the logging companies dredged canals. We arrived an Cano Blanco to catch our 1 1/2 hour boat ride to the lodge. There are no roads at all in the area. Right outside our cabin were several Howler Monkeys to greet us. They say you can hear them holler for 2 miles and I believe that. We had several boat trips through the canals to see the local wildlife. We saw many birds, 3 types of monkeys, a sloth and caimans. There are also crocodiles, but we didn't see any. There was entertainment for us every evening and we had a pool to relax in when we weren't out in the boats. We also took a water taxi across the river to the village and walked along the Atlantic Ocean on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica. After 3 nights here we took the boat back to Cano Blanco where we took a bus to Guipels, had lunch and caught our transfer ride to Arenal. 

Arenal Volcano was inactive until 1968, when without warning it erupted and destroyed 2 villages and killed over 30 people. Since then it has continued to be active with major eruptions again in the 1970s and in 1992. It is now closely watched by both scientists and tourists. We spent 5 nights at a hotel with a magnificent view of the volcano. Because we were there multiple days we got to see the volcano unclouded. Many people never get to see the top of the volcano because it is usually enveloped in clouds and steam. While in Arenal we took our first zip line tour. Sky Trek is reputed to be the most "thrilling" zip line in Costa Rica. They have 8 zip lines, the highest which is over 600 ft., and the longest almost 1/2 mile. It was raining so we didn't get to see the rain forest much because of the clouds, but it was still lots of fun. We also walked to La Fortuna, about 7 km, which is the nearest town. Another day we walked the other direction to Tabacon Resort, the most famous hot spring resort in the area (and also the most expensive). Another day we took off again on a hike and found a dirt road leading back to a new resort. Along the way we saw a toucan. Yes, the Fruit Loops cereal bird. But even our hotel had its own hot springs. There were 11 tiered hot springs, each one slightly different temp from the others. But even the swim up bar was a mineral hot spring. Our last tour of Arenal was the National Park. While hiking there we could hear the volcano erupting almost continuously. At the closest point they allow visitors, which is still almost 5 km away, you could see the lava and boulders spewing and rolling downhill.

A note about the food. The first day we arrived, we stopped at a restaurant and noticed they had daily specials they called a 'typical mean'. We found they had these everywhere we went. A Costa Rican typical mean always consisted of rice and black beans, a choice of meat (which could be beef, chicken or fish), usually some salad and fried plantains. Some places even included a drink which was always fruit juice. The country drinks lots of fruit juices, almost always fresh. 

Next we were on our way to Monteverde. This area was originally settled by Quakers in the 1940s and 1950s. Now it is booming in coffee plantations, but mostly tourism of the multiple cloud forest preserves in the area. We took a van to the boat which took us across Lake Arenal. Then another van took us to Santa Elena where we stayed. The roads in Costa Rica are primitive. Many roads you would not want to attempt without at least a high clearance vehicle, and many need 4 wheel drive. They are all bumpy, have holes and as many of the drivers tell you, "You get a free massage on this trip". We visited Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve, Selvatura Hanging Bridges, and the Monteverde Coffee Co-op while in the area. It also rained and we were stuck in our hotel for 2 days while it poured. We saw lots of birds and wildlife, including the elusive and endangered Quetzal bird. The Quetzal is the bird of the Aztecs and its feathers were prized by the natives for use in making ornaments. There are supposed to only be about 100 pairs left in the world. We saw 2 males and a female. Beautiful birds. I also found out what 'shade grown coffee' means. Instead of a farmer planting row upon row of coffee, some plant their coffee in amongst other plants such as plantains and fruit trees and vegetables. This is considered shade grown coffee. It is usually organically grown as well. Also you have 'sun dried coffee'. In normal coffee production the coffee bean is removed from the fruit before being dried and processed. In sun dried coffee they allow the coffee fruit to dry naturally before extracting the bean. This makes for a much more flavorful and less bitter coffee. I tried some which the coffee farm owner had grown, dried and roasted himself. It was wonderful coffee. 

Our next and last stop was to the Pacific Ocean, specifically, Flamingo Beach or Playa Flamingo. It was warm, in the 90s, and sunny. We got up and went swimming in the ocean every morning, then came back and swam in the pool before heading out for activities for the day. Here we ate fresh fish, took an ATV trip, another zip line trip and lots of sight seeing. I would recommend Costa Rica to anyone and I would definitely go back because there are so many places I did not get to see.

 

Zip lining outside of Playa Flamingo. Not as high as the previous zip lines, nor as long, but we sure did have fun.

Here is a shot of the 1/2 mile long zip line outside of Arenal.

This bird is a Montezuma and build long hanging nests. They look like large fruits hanging from the trees. They are quite common in Costa Rica.

Even in San Jose we found a Walmart Greeter. Actually there were no other employees with this tag and no name on the store, so I don't really know if it was a Walmart or not.

At the Britannia Hotel in San Jose waiting for our van to pick us up for our trip to Pachira Lodge.

Arenal Volcano from my hotel room.

A vanilla orchid. They make Costa Rican vanilla from this plant.

Two rivers merging in Braulio Carrillo National Park. See the different colors of the waters? One is coming from a volcano causing its water to be muddy.

The Toucan.

In the Atlantic Ocean at Tortuguero National Park.

Sunset on the Pacific at Playa Flamingo.

A sloth in town between our hotel and main street, Santa Elena.

Downtown San Jose.

A whole red snapper in Brasillito on the Pacific.

Picking coffee.

Macaws

This parrot like my hat way too much!

Howler monkeys outside our cabin at Tortuguero National Park, Pachira Lodge.

And I can still do the limbo. This was some of our evening entertainment at Pachira Lodge.

See the lighter colors? This is the lava from the active volcano.

Zip lining in the rain at Arenal.

This is as close as you can get to the volcano.

In the hot springs at Arenal Paraiso Hotel.

The Selvetura Hanging Bridges in Monteverde.

A fresh coconut drink.

Where we had our fresh red snapper.

On the boat in Tortuguero.

On the beach.

At the banana plantation.

ATVing along the beach.

This was our room which looked out at Arenal Volcano.