A funny thing happened on our way to winter travels...

We’re writing again from Tecopa CA where we’ve taken up residence for the winter. Not so much a change of plan as more a change in outlook. Normally, we’re quite positive about life and our prospects, and like many this year, we’ve had our spirits lifted by the election outcome. Yet we’re challenged by our perceptions of the economy. Nancy and I have debated at length our travel plans, various budget scenarios and family responsibilities. Perhaps like many, we decided that a cautious approach to spending was in order, along with serious reconsiderations for our travel plans and ways to reduce expenses/maintain income. We see it as trying to be realistic and not panicked by the very real drop in projected income. While stopped for an overnight drycamp and a soak at the Tecopa Hot Springs and armed with a resume, a smile and willingness to work I asked if they needed any help for the rest of the season. I was greeted with a “maybe, but you’ll need to check with the supervisor in the morning.” The long and short is here we are still after my first full week in the campground and hot springs operation business. Who knows where it might lead, but for the time being we’re both feeling relieved by reducing expenses because our site costs are included and it’s 40 miles to anywhere, increased income for a few months and daily hot springs soaks, a good area for bikes and hikes, and all of Death Valley to explore. Did we mention date shakes at the nearby China Ranch Date Farm?

We just spent the winter solstice and our 29^th anniversary in nearby LasVegas, a long way from where it all began at our little cabin in the woods at Big Pond, PA. We’re not gamblers but did enjoy some good meals of Ethiopian and Thai food. We also did some food shopping, watched stormy clouds on the snow-capped mountains surrounding the LasVegas valley, enjoyed(?) the famous (and hideously inefficient) casino lights and watched the many families with children from around the world descend on our hotel (Circus-Circus) and the many family-centered activities available there. There was still a lot of gambling and shopping going on, too! We also had a great visit with old friends, Kim and Rick Swords, who are in town visiting their daughter’s family for the holidays. But, it's nice to back home where it's quiet and the stars are brilliant jewels in the black desert sky.
Happy trails, and holidays, too!

Fall, 2008 Update

Live from Tecopa, California…gateway to hot springs and the DeathValley NP

Thanksgiving is over and Christmas is upon us. I’ve often thought of a blog update and as many times done something else. Perhaps it should be fewer thoughts and more frequency. Just do it. Let’s see if 2009 is any better:) Not sure if anyone is still out there to read these updates anyway. No matter, if you’re there, we hope you’ll enjoy these musings.

Our European trip seems so long ago, but the other night we pulled out the CD and relived that trip again. With the economic and financial turmoil we’re all experiencing, it makes us doubly grateful that we went in spite of the expense. The money would have disappeared by now anyway, even if we’d stayed home! Same can be said for our purchase of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Prius. And with the many trips to visit a convalescing mother it was really a saver @ $4.50+gasoline. We remained in the Corona, CA area through the middle of November. And there was plenty to do there, too.

Tom worked on many energy efficiency and water wise type projects around the park at Glen Eden and still managed to enjoy the pool, spa and hiking. He also worked at a nearby organic garden at Glen Ivy Hot Springs and was paid in fresh fruit and vegetables all summer long! He was even able to work with his sister Mary’s husband, Bruce and help out with his garage door business. All the while Ms. Nancy participated daily in hydrotherapy, pool-time exercizing and improving from her back and sciatic difficulties. Yes, we’re all feeling the weight and wear of the years.

We also found time early in the spring to get to our annual dental and drug checkup in Algodones, BC, Mexico. We joined the rest of snowbirds flocking to the relatively inexpensive (but quality) dental care and prescription drugs over the border. The irony is never lost on us as we venture there to exploit the difference in standard of living, while thousands of Mexicans struggle to come here to do the same…work for a more decent wage. However, our passage across the border is a lot easier and safer than theirs. Ah justice, or is it Just Us?

We also managed a trip through the four corners area to visit daughter Cathy in Cortez, CO. She’s set up in a new restaurant and bar business with her father there and appears to be making a good go of it even in the off-season. It was also near Mesa Verde National Park where we spent a day touring a few of the many Anasazi ruins from the 7^th to 13^th centuries. These ruins were of the probable ancestors of the Pueblo peoples of modern New Mexico and the Hopi of Arizona.

And what a year for a presidential election! We both kept busy with GOTV(GetOutTheVote) in the Corona area and online, helped with canvassing and phone support. Needless to say, we were both rewarded with the result, the first in too many years!

Thanksgiving was great this year with continuation of the "trash can turkey" main course. The main event was hosted by Gerry and Sally, long time friends from Alberta with 7 other fulltimer RVers in attendance. They did the most work dressing the bird and preparing it for the "can". The sequence shows the 17 lb bird in preparation with its aluminum foil "coat", under the thoroughly clean and degalvanized can with charcoal atop and around and those late comers who arrive for the feast!

Back in the soutwest, still traveling but...

Where has the time gone? We just returned from Europe and here it is 2 ½ months later and not a blog update. I should be ashamed! It’s not like we just stayed put after those 2 busy travel months. Today we’re in one of our favorite RV parks here in southern CA near a mother with a broken leg (and a baby sister with some health issues). We expected to spend time in the deserts of AZ again this winter, but plans change. “Wherever we go, there we are.” An old saying that aptly describes our travel and life philosophy. We’re very grateful for our lives and this lifestyle which allows us this flexibility to change direction and location so easily and conveniently.

(Home at Hole in Wall CG, Mojave National Preserve, Californina)

By way of a recap since returning from Amsterdam in November, we’ve enjoyed friends and travels through Phoenix, Prescott, Ft. Mohave/Bullhead City all in Arizona., the Mitchell Caverns and Hole in the Wall campground near Kelso, CA, southern CA and the Yucaipa/SanBernardino area for Christmas, and Quartzsite, AZ for our annual meetup with fellow baby boomer RVers and the big RV Tent show, flea markets and Rock and Mineral Shows, many thousands come through here in winter for the warmth, humanity and the good bargains, and most all in their RV’s.

We now are enjoying well-needed rains and enjoying the smell of fresh foliage and flowers as spring and the birdsongs return to southern California. Golden CA poppies are beginning to show on the medians and hillsides, while snow-capped peaks are clearly visible on the San Bernardino mountain tops. As we wonder about this change in plan and direction, we’re reminded of the importance of family in our lives and are so grateful to be able to be here for them. It’s also a pretty special place when looked at for shear beauty and opportunity, too.

We’re an hour from Newport Beach area and 1.5 hours from the ski country of Running Springs and Big Bear. Tom even has a big bruise on his backside from a cross-country skiing encounter with an icy hillside track! First time in 18 years on a pair of skis, and no broken bones, just black and blue this time. We’ve also changed vehicles and added a Toyota Prius to our on-the-road travel package letting go of our long-time Mazda pickup. It was a difficult decision but the truck was showing wear and the clutch was proving more difficult for Nancy’s (and Tom’s) back. This is our first automatic auto in nearly 30 years, and at an average of 50+mpg, a pleasure to drive both in comfort and cost:) It’s also our first time without a pickup truck:(

We're getting to learn about a new computer educational system with our XO laptop computer. This is a newly designed laptop from the “One Laptop per Child” program, an educational foundation dedicated to introducing educational opportunities via the internet, collaborative learning and lowcost technology into the developing world. These machines are still in development and were only released in December 2007. They are lowcost, <$200.00, rugged and durable with some great features, a child-sized keyboard and wireless networking capabilities. It’s a new system built on a Linux platform with all open-source software and operates differently from the more traditional MAC and PC-windows systems we’re familiar with and is a bit of a challenge for Tom. But, if a child is supposed to operate it, perhaps there is some hope for him yet J Well, that’s it for this installment. We’ll keep you up to date on the Roadshow as we move along and situations and locations change. Thanks for the feedback and encouragement along the way on this blogspot. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do. Be well and keep in touch…tom and nancy, solarnomads@aol.com

Total Lunar eclipse, 21 February 2008 near Corona, CA…the clouds opened for just a few minutes allowing me to take this photo. Next time visible in US 2010.

Back in the US...

A regular scene in the Netherlands where bicycle lanes are separated from auto traffic.

Greetings from along the Colorado River, Ft. Mojave/BullheadCity, AZ

Well folks, its hard to believe we're back in the sunshine and dry warmth of the desert southwest. Methinks we've been in a bit of post travel fog now as we realize it's been nearly 3 weeks since flying into Phoenix on 6 November. That morning we'd walked to the central train station in Amsterdam amidst clouds, mist but hints of blue skies and sunshine. Tom had managed to fall head over heels walking backwards off a curb taking the last of pictures in "really neat light" of downtown Amsterdam. He managed to rip out the pants and bloodied up the knee pretty badly, but, we had to get to the airport. Actually it was a pretty easy trip of about 1/2 hour with our 4 bags stacked in front. We arrived at the airport, loaded our bags on one of the free luggage carts and found the airport first aid office. After a quick look, the nurse cleaned out the cut, placed a bandage on it and wished us a good fllight. That's it, no name, record or payment!

The flight was wonderfully uneventful and the scenery as we flew out over the Netherlands impressive: the variegated fields of crops and flowers right up to the edge of the towns and cities, as we climbed through the clouds. Upon arrival in Philadelphia 9 hours later we were greeted by the new American welcomers, shaved-headed police ordering us to stay in a single file as we deplaned through the jetway, making room for the drug dog and handler to "greet" the new arrivals. We were run through customs where we reunited with our checked luggage and passed before the customs agents who asked what we had to declare and decided whether or not to believe us or check our luggage. We must have looked suitably respectable, or not nervous and were waved on through, only to have to again remove shoes and items from pockets, take laptop out of case etc and go through airport screening all over. Not once was anybody able to say to the many international travelers from Europe, "Welcome" or anything of the sort. We saw an elderly Dutch couple with a mentally challenged daughter trying to negotiate the security screening again, and to understand why we were again going through this after having undergone security in Amsterdam and not been out of a secure area since. We looked at each other incredulously, we smiled and asked if they needed any help, and they returned the smile, thanked us and said they were ok. It was quite an embarassing spectacle, and largely poorly executed. We heard some Americans commenting that although it was uncomfortable but at "least we feel safe". We spoke with a woman from England who simply smiled and offered that "you Americans are still new at this and are doing it rather awkwardly, like adolescents". She went on to note that the Americans appeared afraid of everything, bordering on hysteria, while in Britain they had adjusted to life with threats of terrorism, and life just went on. Due diligence and care, yes, but the fear and anxiety she saw was way out of proportion. It certainly was a day of contrasts from each side of the Atlantic. We arrived in Phoenix a little later than scheduled but our wonderful friends, Al and Donna, were there to greet us and wisk us back to their house for much needed sleep. They had been to Europe years earlier so we stayed up a bit to share stories, but soon the most comfortable sleep in many weeks was ours.

The next afternoon we returned to our motorhome and little truck, parked in our friends, Mike and Lori's, side yard. It was wonderful to be "home" again. But before we could move back in we needed to clean and sweep 2 months of Scottsdale, desert dust off all surfaces. It was also a time to look at all the "stuff" we had brought back along with that which we found waiting for us, and we knew then, what would be our focus this winter season... lightening up the load again by getting rid of the stuff we just don't use or need. But, that will have to wait. We needed to restock our food pantry with first a stop at Trader Joe's in Scottsdale, and later that next week at New Frontiers Natural Foods in Prescott. Our bulk foods restored and the organics, wine and other staples loaded up it was time to head to Prescott AZ. We enjoyed the many visits with friends and checking in on a few of our favorite restaurants, but we had work to do...so here we are, in Ft. Mohave, along the Colorado River. Nancy is busy going through the files for her annual "paper purge", Tom is going through boxes in the "basement" and "attic", along with readying traditional Christmas-gift calendars, notecards etc. We'll be here another week before heading out across the Mojave Desert, with hopefully a few stops along the way, to Tom's sister Mary's, his mother's (to help her move to new apartment) and Christmas in the Redlands/Yucaipa area of southern California.

We'll continue to post to the blog from time to time updates on our life and travels. We always appreciate your feedback and updates from your life as well, so please don't be bashful. And, if you've had enough, you can just delete us. It's just that easy! Be well and keep in touch. Hope the Thanksgiving holiday was an enjoyable one...Happy trails from way out west...tom and nancy

The Netherlands and time to go...

tom ready to ride Bike trails and lights

Wind turbines along roadside
Ms.Nancy does the internet at home.

Well folks, it's hard to believe that we're only a few kilometers away and a couple of days until we board US Airways for Phoenix. It certainly has been a wonderful gift to travel as we have. Our last major road days took us from along the Rhine in Bingen on to Koln (Cologne) Germany and then to here near the North Sea at Delft. Our itinerary was decided primarily because of availability of campgrounds, as most are closed this time of year. The weather is damp and much warmer than we'd expected, positively balmy in the high 50's with a bit of blue above the clouds/fog. Our current campground is in a nature park 200 yards from a major freeway at the edge of the city of Delft, near the Hague, and home of the painter Vermeer and the famous blue Delft ceramics. It is also only the second campground in our entire trip that has unlimited & free WiFi internet connection available in our camping spot! Nancy has been busy catching up on the news and like, while Tom took advantage of the bicycle rentals, the flat terrain and the incredibly extensive biking roadways in the area. He spent the day riding in the mist all over town, discovering solar PV installations, wind turbines, a nature center, the old central Markt Plaza with cafes and lots of souvenir shops with Delft pottery, windmills and wooden shoes. All around are canals, small cars, people biking and walking. In front of our campground, cows are grazing in lush green grass with no fencing within site of high rise apartments and the freeway...the land is reclaimed and surrounded by small canals so no fences are needed. One common theme throughout our European travels has been how close agriculture is to daily life here. Cities and towns are clearly defined, bordered by agricultural fields right up to the edge. Houses and lots are smaller here, apartments more plentiful, afterall, land is at a premium and populations large. There is an intense pride in the quality of the food and it's nearness to the consumers. Daily markets are common throughout Europe, not just the Netherlands or France. The custom of small, close together homes may date back to medieval Europe and the era of walled cities. But its implications for living, food production and consumer patterns (how much stuff can you stuff into a small living space...and no off site storage units) is profound.

Nancy says it's time to go...we're traveling to Amsterdam today to return the van and enjoy the last of our European adventure. A museum, a meal and a cafe or 2 await. Nancy says we need to return to the Red Light district as well, to see if her favorite zaftig brunette is still pulling in more customers than the slim blonde next door...(I suspect the interest may have something to do with zaftig vs. slim) Unsure whether we'll have an internet connection before departure so I'll send this along now. Hopefully our next communication will be from the Phoenix area, land of sunshine and warmth. It's goodby to the cool, damp and cloudy for awhile, but it's still amazing that we're at 52N latitude and it's this mild at this time of year. Maybe the Europeans have reason to worry if part of the changing global climate includes cessation or modification of the Gulf Stream. They appear to take renewable alternatives in energy, efficiency and carbon reduction more seriously here, perhaps because they are more likely to suffer adversely from the projected changes. All in all, it's been a wonderful opportunity to observe and learn, enjoy and wonder at the predominant cultural influence this place has and has had on the US, ourselves and the world.

Happy trails from the Netherlands...ciao for now, tom and nancy

Along the Rhine

Our boat returns to pick us up at St. Goar

Just across river from Bingen

We're now in Bingen, Germany, along the Rhine River, after a long drive much of it on autobahn, most of it in traffic around Frankfurt am Main. Today, we spent a beautiful day on a riverboat along the Rhine River, up and back, along a really beautiful section of the Rhine, from Bingen (home of Hildegard von Bingen, a 12 century Abbess, saint, mystice &seer, healer and outspoken woman for her day) to St. Goar and the Rheinfels Castle. This whole section of the Rhine dotted with castles, some dating from well before `1000 AD, and little towns dating back to before the Roman times. Most began with the true "robber Barons" who found good spots along the very busy Middle Age trading route, built "customs houses" to collect "tolls" and the castles to ensure that tolls were paid. A large chain was used to persuade ships to stop and pay up, otherwise, the chain would rip the wooden boats apart in the strong river current. It appears to have been quite a profitable enterprise. Many of the castles were property of various Archbishops and other well-connected individuals and were often the sight of many a siege or assault. Vineyards have been here since the Romans came here before the Current Era. We were also lucky to have a break in the otherwise dreary, cold fall weather with partial sunshine for much of the trip. Beautiful fall colors of the deciduous trees along the river added to the specialness of the day. The day topped off with a wonderful meal on the boat, some local wine and a coffee with local brandy. Tom even managed to get in a visit to local museum for the last 1/2 hour which had an exhibit on the writings of Hildegard. Tomorrow we head toward Cologne, and then on to Amsterdam, arriving on Friday. We want to have a few last days in Amsterdam for sights missed in the earlier visit. We saved a few museums until this last week. It doesn't seem possible that this wonderful trip is almost over, but it will feel really good to get back to the motor home, our friends and family, our comfortable bed, and the recliners and the internet. We've about run ourselves into the ground.

Munich and a happy reunion!

the Glockenspiel tower in the New Rathaus, or City Hall in Munich

The entry gate at Dachau Concentration Camp, "Work makes (you) free"

10-30-07 Update from along the Rhine in Bingen...Finally found an internet connection so will send this along...more to come on our last week's trip from here on to Amsterdam. BTW, spent day on a boat cruise along the Rhine leaf peepin' at fall color and castles. Incredible, too, that we saw first blue sky in over a week today.

Written: 10-28-07

We just left Munich, Germany, where it's still cold and drizzly, well, cold and damp at least, not too much drizzle today. It's beginning to feel a lot like winter, no snow here; but the raw damp is palpable, like it was in our Pennsylvania winters. Can't complain, though; we've had wonderful weather for most all of this trip, and we knew when we started back north toward Amsterdam the last week or two we might run into some bad weather. Like we gambled on a mild fall, and lost. Hasn't dampened our spirits, although it is taking its' toll on creaky joints and summer-oriented wardrobe.

Munich, of course, has had a long, colorful and prosperous history since it started as a monastery in the 12th century. It's the home of BMW and Siemens, the Octoberfest and so many other monuments, galleries and Royal Residences. More recently it's where Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party really got their start and became powerful. The Munchen Stadtmuseum (City Museum) had a wonderful exhibits about the history of Munich with a special section devoted to how the National Socialists came to power. We tend to forget that Hitler and the Nazis were freely elected, which should be a lesson for all democracies. The exhibit did a wonderful job of showing how conditions after the first World War, plus the Depression caused severe economic conditions in Germany creating lots of uncertainity in the population. More interesting was how the Nazis used these events, along with zealous nationalism and patriotism to establish an atmosphere of fear and distrust among the general populaton. The would then exploit these fears and prejudices against any perceived enemy of the party and the Fatherland which included the Jews, Jehovah'sWitnesses, homosexuals, political liberals, oppostion newspapers and anyone who stood to challenge or even question them. They created these scapegoats, and set about to establish a government where 'law and order' and safety were of highest priority. Tolerance was perceived as weakness. It was noted that minor city clerks were soon promoted to high city and later national posts because of their loyal membership in the National Sociatist Party. Competence and qualifications for a position gave way to loyalty and party activity and was first demonstrated in Munich.

We had lunch at the Hofbrau, a Munich beer hall where Adolph Hitler made many of his impassioned speeches. Just realizing that you were in the same room looking at the same walls, walking on the same floor, where Hitler and the Nazis drummed up support for their ideas, was sobering. I think this has impressed us both on this trip, being places where historical figures and happenings were, some from so long ago, like the Pantheon and Colesseum in Rome, and some recent like this. Makes them into real people in your mind somehow, whether it's Galileo, Hitler, Michelangelo or Julius Caesar.
We spent another day touring Dachau concentration camp and the accompanying museum. Such a sobering reminder of man's capacity for evil. It didn't help that the day was glowering, grey and bone chilling cold. To see the place and to see all the photos and a documentary film about it, and to realize that it wasn't even the worst of the camps was a wringing emotional experience. But, somehow, it didn't seem right to come here without acknowledging it, and bearing witness to all that was done there.

We also did a bus tour around Munich, saw the City Hall (Rathaus) with its incredible clock with two sets of animated figures move about, one set of lifesize dolls that dances in comemoration of the end of the Plague in the 16th century, and the other a full joust on horseback to comemorate a wedding where one of the principals from Austria was hit by the lance. The glockenspiel is being repaired, so while the figures dance, there is no music at the moment to accompany them, alas. Interesting, historical, free but still very cold! It's not that it is so incredible in this modern world of Walt Disney animations, but when you realize they are hundreds of years old, and represent a master's clockmaking art, it's pretty neat.

We've certainly come away from this trip with an appreciation of really good mass transit systems, that's for sure. While we haven't had opportunity to travel on one of the 'fast trains', we have seen several of them, and the local trains we have taken have been convenient, clean and easy to use. I can only imagine how much more liveable our US cities would be with more. You never have to wait more than a few minutes for a train or bus, and you can get absolutely anywhere easily on them. We had been going to drive out to Dachau, when we realized that we could get public transportation right from the corner down from the campground to the door of the camp, easily and quickly, for a few Euros, so we took the train and enjoyed a nice ride through the suburbs and out into the countryside outside Munich.

Also while in Munich, on a whim and a hunch Tom was able to find and make contact with his German "sisters and mother" from the time he lived with the family when he was an exchange student in Bolivia some 40 years ago. It was the greatest moment to meet up again after contact had been lost over 10 years ago. We visited, talked and remembered life and friends in SantaCruz, Bolivia so long ago, and what our lives were today. It was the first of hopefully many visits.

And now the time is getting short as are the days. We haven't seen the sun in over a week and must start the trip north to Amsterdam. Today we drove to the walled city of Rothenburg On Der Tauber, near Wurzburg in northern Bavaria. This was where not much ever happened, so nobody stormed the city walls or destroyed much, to the benefit of tourists today. The Reformation did happen here, as it was started not to far to the west in the early 16th century. The central cathedral here is Evangelical Lutheran today and has been since 1527 even though the rest of the Bayern State (Bavaria and Munich) are predominantly Roman Catholic. The city was beautiful to walk through, first the gate, then the narrow streets to the Market Platz, City Hall and public fountains, and later passed many small shops with art work, clothes, foods and gifts all with the tourist in mind. However, the majority of tourists here are German out for a Sunday drive. The campgrounds are nearly empty and the temperatures are near freezing nightly. What are we doing here???
That's it for now, on to the Rhine and then the Nederlands.

Happy trails from along the road.