Having too good a time to blog...sorry

We are well and having a great time.
This morning was our trip of a lifetime out to see the gray whales. The mothers brought their babies right up to the boat for us to pet...YES, PET. What a thrill.
So much to catch up on writing but we have been in very out of the way, remote locations with no internet. Will try to catch up first of the week...
Right now we are in Guerrero Negro and the bay we went out in where they calve the babies is called Scammon´s Lagoon if anyone wants to look it up on the internet.
All is well. Our last day driving was the worst of the mountainous road...part of it called Devils Grade...and we are glad to have it behind us.
More in a few days when I have better internet access.
Hugs and sunburns from,
Linda / Gary

February 16 La Paz

The drive today was just over 100 miles but along the way we stopped off at the quaint village of Todos Santos. It was very small and so we had to park our motorhomes out on the highway and car pool into town in smaller rigs. Lots of open shops and vendors lining the streets. The art galleries were beautiful and everything was very rustic as they were replacing an electrical transformer in the street in front of the galleries. Viewing items by daylight with no electricity left more to the imagination...but hey...its the adventure we are looking for. I ventured into a jewelry shop and found the special necklace and earrings I was seeking for myself. Price was reasonable for hand crafted item and so I indulged myself. Found a couple cute gifts for the grand daughters and watched Gary play with Mexican musical instruments in a fruitless search for the perfect noise maker for grandson, Matthew aka Wilson. Watched a mexican lady weaving a hammock in an alley. Lots of hard work goes into things like that and it was fun to watch. One of our trip participants is into weaving butterflies to applique onto clothing and will teach us all tomorrow evening...I love learning new things like that. A quiet restful evening and then a La Paz city bus tour tomorrow and special dinner tomorrow night. Hasta Manana, Linda

A romantic ATV ride with my Valentine

Wahoo....did we have a blast and it was only "half price" ($20 each) this time because our group leader was kind enough to sit through a condominium sales presentation so the entire group could get 50% off any adventures they wanted to go on here...nice guy and he knew how to say NO on the condo sales promo when they tried to get him to buy.

So there were 19 of us brave souls waiting when the air conditioned van came to drive us west of Cabo San Lucas for our newest ATV adventure. We were to have the privilege of riding in a "Nature Preserve" that extends up into the mountains and down to the Pacific Ocean. We paid an extra $3 admission to get into the preserve and for that the ATVs had it all to themselves and also they had EMTs and ambulances on site. Now that part kind of made me nervous...what do they know about frequency of accidents that perhaps I am ignoring in doing this. The EMTs had their own quads and rode around with stretchers on the rig as well as their first aid kits, supplies, stethiscope and all.

WOW, once we watched one of our guys roll his quad and get banged up, I think we all slowed down. They always have the ladies out front (there were 4 of us in the group of about 30 quads). I guess we get to set the pace. There was one really BBBBIIIIIGGGG hill we had to go down that was a bit scary. We really got a variety of riding, up, down, around, sand, washboards, rocks, a little of everything.

The real reward was when we arrived down on the beach...beautiful, magnificent, blue water and BIG waves. We all parked in one section and they told us we would have a break here before we go back. We thought maybe 15 minutes but they told us 1 hour 45 minutes. We were able to ride up and down the beach and explore every nook and cranny...even found a rock to pee behind !

Added treat was the gray whales were cavorting just off shore mating. Some did full breech jumps up out of the water. Others clustered together and spouted, rolling over and over in the water. I guess a female whale will take as many partners as are available...about time women's lib paid off ! It was beautiful to watch and they were everywhere. We are really anxious now for our visit in a week or so at Scammon's Lagoon out from Guerro Negro...where the mothers who are calving will bring their babies up to the inflatable boats we go out in. WOW...so many once in a lifetime treats I am getting on this trip.

Did I say we are having a good time ? Good people, well taken care of, lots of socializing and stories to share with each other.

Well we both survived the ATV adventure in one piece and limped back to our motor home to rest up. Surprised we were not more sore this AM...thankful for that as the old body takes a great deal of bumps and grinds on those ATVs. But it is sure fun. We were covered with dust with head to toe...thankfully we had just enough time to shower before we went to a fancy steak dinner at a nearby restaurant to celebrate Valentine's Day.

This morning we had an omlet breakfast like I have never seen. Each one of us took a heavy zip lock bag. Open it up, crack 2 or 3 eggs into it...add onion, cheese, bell pepper, bacon, ham, whatever. Let the air out of bag, seal it up. Knead the bag to whip the egg...then they immerse it in boiling water and in about 5 or 6 minutes it is done. Pretty neat and delicious. Not much clean up for a big group and fun in the doing. One of our fellow travelers is state leader for his motorhome group so they have all sorts of fun group ideas like this to share.

Yum...did I say we have been well fed?

More later...tomorrow we start North and will be in La Paz. Have been told we will not have WiFi but at least an internet cafe right at the RV park.

More adventures to come...but hey, everyday is an adventure no matter where you are !

February 11 Cabo San Lucas

We made the BIG drive yesterday all of 66 miles from Los Barrieles to Cabo San Lucas (the southern most point we will visit). This is definitely an upper end tourist area as shown by the proliferation of high rise hotels, resorts and plush, green golf courses. Can you imagine paying greens fees of $200 plus for 9 holes of golf? Not me...I can think of better things to blow my money on...like more ATV adentures or a ride on one of those wave runners I saw this morning.

At this RV park we do not have the luxury of Wi Fi so at the moment I am at an internet cafe and will pay $5 per hour to tap on this key board that must be 15 years old. Most of the keys stick so excuse any errors as I am going to fly through this blog as fast as I can as I need to pick up some passengers in about an hour to go back to the RV park.

Today was the day for our catamaran adventure. Half of the group (including us) went on a morning cruise and got to go snorkeling around the famous rocks at "Lover's Beach". Underwater it was bare and bleak compared to what we have seen in Maui and the Cayman Islands. But it was fun nonetheless. They also took us out whale watching and we found 4 or 5...then back to see lots of sea lions on rocks and have a very nice lunch on board...free marguaritas for those who wished...good music and we were like a happy "Congo Boat" coming back. Lots of sunburn, hangovers, bumped knees from the boarding ladder but big smiles from all the fun.

So tonight the other half of the group is out on the same large catamaran boat for a sunset cruise...no snorkeling...just good food, lots of drinks again (I am sure) and a ride back to camp provided by the sober participants of the morning trip. Actually it works quite well. Gary is resting up from his snorkel adventure so I drove in and knew I could find internet...and I did.

We are about half way through the trip and still having a great time. We have several days at each stop which makes it just right for us. We will be here 5 or 6 days total. Have a tour of a glass factory planned but otherwise lots of time to do stuff on our own. Last night we had a "brown bag auction" which was lots of fun with our wagonmaster dressed up as a red haired scottsman doing the auctioneering. Sounds stupid but it was really fun...they are great people and take very good care of us.

Today Gary had a bit of a problem getting back onto the boat (found that the neuropathy in his legs makes it extremely difficult/next to impossible to climb a ladder out of the water) and the tailgunner's wife who is an ER nurse (and a really special person) was right there to make sure he was OK.

They know most of the group are older (there is only one couple younger than us) so they plan frequent potty stops and other aspects to make sure our trip is enjoyable and safe. One man is on oxygen, one lady is crippled, another recovering from cancer. We even have a code for at night if anyone needed help they would turn on their headlights and honk their horn. It is neat that all the people are here because they want to be here and won't let their age or other factors keep them from being out experiencing the fun and adventure of life.

We are making some good friends and I am sure we will take another caravan trip in the future.

Doing more with my mouth than with my hands

Ever since our visit to Vietnam I have been working on leprosy bandages for the leper villages in Vietnam. They can be knit or crocheted...and many years ago my mother-in-law had taught me to knit. Well the gauge on these bandages is very small and for me they take what feels like forever to complete as they need to be 48 inches long.

I watched people crocheting them and thought it looked much faster so I convinced my friend Barbara to teach me to crochet. End result was that the learning curve was going to slow me down so much that it was faster to just knit anyway.

Since beginning our trip I have one done and another half way. I only knit if we sit and watch a movie in the evening. Well every afternoon at 4 pm we have a "social" with people bringing snacks and any drink they want to drink. I started taking my knitting with me to busy my hands (instead of eating) when I was visiting with others. It ended up being a big topic of conversation...kind of like this...
Linda, what are you knitting?
You mean they still have leprosy there?
What size needles are you using?
Is that special thread/yarn you are using?
They have to be how long???
I would like to work on them too, can I have a copy of the instructions?

One lady was so gung ho on it that I even gave her a ball of thread and an extra set of needles I have and she is well on her way already. I handed out the 6 sets of instructions I had and as soon as I set up my printer...probably when we get settled in Cabo San Lucas...I will print up more sets to give out.

Just like the ladies who are working on them in my craft/sewing group in Lincoln City...and the group of ladies I have working on them in England after finding me on the internet, I have been successful in multiplying my efforts and "doing more with my mouth than my hands".

I love the warm fuzzies I get within myself when I can accomplish things like this. The joy of being retired and having the time.

Take care all...
Linda

Fun in daughter Cindy's Washing Machine

Want to share with you a blog post that daughter Cindy posted today...I loved it...the content, the message, the heart...we have so much to be proud of in this young woman we call our daughter.

Her blog was titled

"There's a whole lot of fun going on in my washing machine!"

Ok from just the headline, you may wonder what the heck I am talking about...Well I have been collecting small beanie babies to send over on the coming TOP Vietnam Veterans trip to Vietnam & it's time for them to get shipped to the gal that will coordinate their further adventure.

You see their adventure started when they were originally made at the toy factory. They then got to be prizes in Happy Meals at McDonalds - making many smiling faces for children as they got their special meal. They got played with a bit & then probably stowed away in a toybox. Then the toy box probably got cleaned out and they found their way in a box to Goodwill. Goodwill gets so many little toys and such that they can't put all the stuff out at their regular stores & they end up putting out bins and bins of stuff at the Outlet Goodwill (or treasure chest as my kids like to refer to it as). That's where we found them.

My children & I look for them any time we are at the Goodwill outlet, knowing they are just waiting for us to find them, purchase them in bulk 59-99 cents a pound depending on how much more "treasure" we find that day.

Then they get to come home with us, be sorted and put into a nice warm tote to wait for more friends to be added in with them & then ultimately the adventure that started up again today. Today is WASH DAY... Any of them that don't have unwashable parts got to go into the wet spinning ride. They were all so excited to go in their together. Round and round they go.

After this they will get to go into the warm wind tunnel for more fun spinning. Then a bigger adventure will begin when they get to go into a box and with the UPS man to head to Arizona.

They will have a note with them about the adventure they have already had and instructions on how to be sure they make it to their next destination.

"We have had so much fun already, we want to make sure you know that we don't mind being crammed into shoes, hats, or any nook or cranny you may have in your suitcase. The ultimate goal is soon coming - the smiling excited face and hands of a new owner in a far away place..."

In just about a month from now they will head into suitcases, to airports, through customs, and on airplanes going to Vietnam. There they will be given to new owners that don't have as many toys or luxuries as my kids take for granted here in the US. They will be loved, enjoyed and played with... They will be home...

I love collecting these and sending them on. We were lucky enough to see pictures of the kids playing with them last year & it is just so precious to see such a small thing make a little one so happy.

I plan to keep collecting them as long as the groups that go over will find places to cram them into their suitcases & enjoy the fun of passing them out. I also hope that someday I can have the privledge of being one of the ones passing them out... And not only be able to share these small toys, but be able to understand and learn more about an important part of our history & my father's life. There is so much more to learn, share & discover.

It has been Gary's dream to take Cindy on a trip to Vietnam and now, with her expression of a desire to go, it seems we are one step closer to the realization of a number of dreams.

God is good to us! and I feel so blessed !

Linda

You Bet I Was Proud To Make It To The Top of The Mountain

Gary with Masked ATV Rider

MAN OH MAN DID WE HAVE FUN

Here I sit with dust all over me, mud on my pants, wet socks, sunburnt arms and sunburnt eyes. I am tired enough to lay down and take a snooze but I just have to share the fun we just had.

I had signed us up for a 4 hour ATV tour and Gary kind of looked at me cross eyed cause he thought it was expensive ($50 each) and just plain crazy.

Well now that it is done, we both agree it is the most fun we have had in a long time. We were on separate ATVs and I was lucky enough to get an automatic. Out of our group of 44 people we had 18 go. Only one couple doubled up on an ATV, the others rode solo. Boy talk about ladies coming out of their shells...we all had a ball.

We rode up canyons, narrow mountain trails, up and down, around, bumpy canyons we did it all. Even a wet creek bed where the water sprayed up onto us knee high. What a blast !

The tour company provided (two guides who spoke little English)the ATV, helmets that did not fit, goggles that kind of went over your glasses and neckerchiefs to wear like bandits so you did not inhale too much of the dust and sand. Just looked at Gary and he has white circles around his eyes were his glasses shielded, otherwise he is covered in a mixture of sun screen lotion, dust, dirt, sand, etc. We took off our shoes coming into the motor home but otherwise are too exhausted to get up and shower or clean up.

At the end they took us to a big canyon with all kinds of piles of sand/dirt to just mess around on. Many of us got stuck, high centered on piles of sand and just plain tuckered out. From there we rode them back to the RV park on the highway...brave tour company but we survived.

I'd do it again in a minute...but better rest up a few days first...pictures later.

Bandito Linda

"Before" picture of our rig - taken in San Diego

Another Dog Tag Reunion News Article

Wanted to share with you yet another public story about the dog tag "reunions" that are resulting from research work being done by myself and daughter Cindy.

TAG TEAM EFFORT

Phil Grafton displays his dog tags lost 38 years ago in Vietnam. They were returned Christmas Eve. He was serving in the central highlands area of Vietnam when they were lost.

When Phil Grafton received a letter in the mail from an organization called Tours of Peace (TOP) Vietnam Veterans telling him they had found his military dog tag in Vietnam and asking for verfication, he thought it was a scam.

“It asked for my social and we didn’t have social on our dog tags back then,” said Grafton. His wife, Lynn, called the number of the organization, called TOP Vietnam Veterans, and the president, Jess DeVaney, called back and read Grafton the service number off of the dog tag. It was his.

“That’s a one in a million thing,” said Grafton. “I was in the central highlands in mountainous terrain — I don’t know how in the world they ever found it.” Grafton said the chains that held the dog tags corroded from sweat, and he, like many other soldiers, had resorted to stringing them on a boot string or whatever else was available.

“I have no idea where I was when I lost them,” he said. “I had them taped together so they wouldn’t make noise.”

TOP is a non-profit organization that runs tours and other programs intended to help veterans and families heal from their Vietnam War experience. One of these programs is the “Personal Effects Program” which works to recover personal effects left in Vietnam after the war and returns them to veterans and surviving family members as a way to honor the veteran’s service.

DeVaney said they have collected nearly 1,100 dog tags during their tours of Vietnam, and they have been successful in returning many of them to the veterans and families to which they belong. Volunteers use every available resource to find the families and then they send out a letter to establish contact and verify if the link is correct.

“We often have the phone number as well, but we always opt for the letter,” said DeVaney. “Some people won’t call back for months, and it’s probably for emotional reasons as they think about their history.”

DeVaney said receiving the tags or other recovered items stirs up a lot of tragic stories but it always turns out to be a good thing and shows up for the families of veterans or the veterans themselves at just the right time.

“This is a way we can really honor their service and sacrifice,” said DeVaney. “It also allows us to do something for the surviving families of causalities and give back something to them.”

Grafton’s dog tags arrived on Christmas Eve, beautifully displayed in a dark velvet blue box. The sight of the rusted tag nestled neatly against velvet impacted both Graftons. “Thought it was neat it was found after 38 years, and that I got it on Christmas Eve was great,” said Grafton. “I felt proud — it was something I earned and it’s good to get it back.”

Grafton said seeing the tag brought back a lot of memories and reminded him he was lucky to have made it back alive. He was a sergeant with the 4th Infantry Division and said his first six months there was spent on patrol and doing search and destroy missions. “It was a profound deal,” said Grafton. “It took a lot of used to getting back.”

One of the hardest things about returning after the war was the animosity from the American public. Grafton remembered being bused off the plane at night so they wouldn’t be shot at or targeted by angry citizens. “I just couldn’t get over him getting the tag back and being honored and appreciated for his sacrifices,” said Lynn.

“There wasn’t a lot of recognition for Vietnam vets,” said DeVaney. The Web site www.topvietnamveterans.org is flooded with stories from families and veterans who were incredibly touched by honor showed to them by the act of kindness. “I’m really appreciative,” said Grafton. “I was laughing the other day and I said ‘I wish they’d find my mind because I lost that over there too.’”

Published on January 30, 2006 in the Toccoca Georgia newspaper

Feb 5 - The Dangerous Road to Los Barriles

Today was littered with vehicle accidents, thank goodness none of them involved our caravan members.

We left Paylapa 206 at 7:30 AM so we could get here plenty early for our participants to find an English TV on which to watch the Super Bowl. Well we barely made it here by late afternoon due to major accident delays.

First we encountered a jack knifed semi-truck on a narrow high mountain pass. The truck had run out of fuel...which is serious business around here as it is very far from one fuel stop to another. Anyway, he tried to back his rig to get it out of any oncoming traffic and instead ended up jack knifing it and almost going over a very high cliff.

The traffic, including all 22 of our motor homes, was backed up so a long while in both directions. Finally some guys pulled out the side rail on the road so traffic could try to get by. It was not too bad for a standard car, but for a motor home (with most of us towing cars) it was quite scary. You normally will avoid with a passion driving one side of the coach in the soft dirt along side the road as it is not well backfilled and supported. It was pretty tipsy and our Wagon Master did not want us to risk a potential "roll over". Once the Mexican police came, he insisted we go on through as we were becoming part of the problem with no where to get off the road. We inched through and all made it Ok but it was very hard on nerves...to say the least.

It was about 30 miles later just after we had gone through a small village that our Wagon Master was the first vehicle to come upon a head on collision with two cars. There were young kids involved and the ambulance was thankfully just a couple blocks away. Again our motor homes clogged up the roads as we all caught up with each other. Quickly our "tail gunner" got on his fluorescent vest and directed traffic, pulling us all into a large field which was more of a drainage river bed...soft sand, scary moments turning our rigs around to park headed back to the road in anticipation of when we could move on.

The ambulance came and took away the injured. the police came and put up traffic warning triangle but did not direct anything. The cars were blocking 2/3 of the road...again just barely enough room for a standard car to squeeze by. Up pulled a bus and the bus driver was so determined to get through that he and about 5 other big men just gathered around the blocking car and carried it off the side of the road. WOW, I was impressed.

Soon it was "start your engines" and we were finally on the move again to our eventual destination here at East Cape RV Resort in Los Barriles...we are still north of Cabo San Lucas and are on the Sea of Cortez side of the Peninsula. The area here is famous for wind sailing, kiting, fishing, diving and lots of other fun in the sun. We plan on checking it all out tomorrow. We will be here 4 days total so it should be great.

Feb 4 - Last day in Cuidad Constitucion

Yesterday we sat back and rested up while everyone else tried out the side trips. That way we could listen to their accounts and decide which direction to head today on our own adventure outing. The choice was for the better road and shorter drive to San Carlos.

We started the day with a cup of coffee and put our appetites on reserve with hopes of a good restaurant meal in San Carlos. Our drive down Hwy 22 was comfortable due to few cars on the highway and lots of bland but interesting scenery to occupy our time. I love the cacti and birds.

We have been impressed by the focus of the Mexican people on their children. Last night most of the parents had accompanied their young ones to the Folklorico performance put on for us here at the park. Today was no different. As we passed the soccer field, there was a swarm of cars as evidence to the parents gathered to cheer on their young athletes. These fine people obviously put great value on their investment into the next generation.

San Carlos reportedly has a population of just 4500, however the activity on this Saturday made it feel like more. As we explored the rambling, sand side streets and “thoroughfares”, viewing their humble but happy lifestyle. We arrived at the rustic recommended Los Arcos restaurant, but Gary’s stomach “chickened out” and we opted for a visit to the local Mini-Mercado for some packaged snacks as an alternative.

As we sat in our car we discovered there was a group of local workers pouring concrete for a patio and gazebo in the town square across from us. Some people have trouble finding interest in watching concrete being poured but when you have personally poured many, many yards of it over the years; it is so much fun to watch someone else sweat over it. The back breaking task of hand mixing like we did 30 years ago is still standard here. When I approached with my camera, they had fun giving me smiling poses for my shots. They were having fun. These workers appeared to be volunteer laborers spending their day off establishing something attractive and positive for their community.

We watched with interest as a mother with three daughters rode bicycle…one bicycle. All were dressed in identical pink sweats and one daughter (about 6) stood on foot pegs mounted on the hub of the back wheel. Another daughter (about 4) first tried to sit side saddle on the cross bar of the bike but soon slipped off and ended up hiking up the crotch of her sweat pants so she could stand on foot pegs mounted on the hub of the front wheel. Another daughter (about 9) stood with hands on her hips, disappointed that she was missing out on the fun. It was a heartwarming sight and said a lot for families doing things together for little expense.

After their bike ride, I approached the girls as they sat on a street corner. I complimented them on their pink outfits and was rewarded with beaming smiles. Soon I returned to the car for three beanie babies to present to them as gifts. They graciously accepted but soon I had a crowd of little ones waiting for me to exit a small local store with hopes that more gifts would appear.

For us personally, it was a rewarding day of people watching, including another delicious fish feed and pot luck dinner with our fellow traveling companions and a briefing on the 4 year history of the RV park by the English born owner.

February 2 or 3 not sure Ciudad Consucion, Baha Sur, Mexico

We moved again yesterday, south to a nice little town centrally located on our way south to Cabo. This town has fields of crops all around due to an undergroung aquafur discovered a number of years ago. It is a major supply network for a number of smaller towns around us and gives us a starting off point for a number of day trips in our cars. Many of the smaller towns could not handle the size of the motor homes anyway. This RV park is wide open but has good hookup and a very nice pavilion building for us to meet, eat and play. Last night it was "Candy Bar Bingo"...don't worry I did not win any but enjoyed playing, laughing and telling stories with everyone else.
Tomorrow we will take a car drive out to a seaside village where they do lots of whale watching.

On Sunday we will head south again and east to the Sea of Cortez coast line for a lovely few days in Los Barriles. Being Super Bowl Sunday, I know we will travel early as the men all want to find an American bar or at least an English TV to watch the game on.

Others are waiting for this one dial-up computer (they have not even heard of Wi Fi here!) so I better move on.

From sunny, warm, Mexico...
Linda