Los Cabos

We had a 5:35 am flight on March 16 out of the McAllen Airport to wing our way north to Dallas, meeting up with our American Airlines flight to Los Cabos International Airport.

We had a lovely condo for a week, Hacienda del Mar, on Cabo Bay. It is situated on the Sea of Cortez, between the towns of San Jose del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas at the very tip of the Baja. 

We were on the second floor in Building 16 of this large time-share condominium complex.

We were very happy our son, Brian, and his wife, Laura, could meet us here for the week.

Our large veranda was our place for breakfast each morning. The porch had a dining table for four and a two-person whirlpool hot tub.

We had a lot of room in the full kitchen, dining room and living room.

We had daily maid service and they liked to surprise us with "towel art".

The back porch was a perfect place to relax at the end of each day. 

Our garden view room overlooked one of the many pools. The landscaping was immaculate.

After exploring the grounds and shoreline of the complex, we were ready for our day's adventure. We rented a Dodge Journey from Avis at the airport for a week. Brian enjoyed being our driver.

Our Lady of Sorrows Chapel

We parked at the nearby Encantada Resort for a hike up the bluff to a Chapel and Faro El Encanto lighthouse. In the distance is the tip of Baja Peninsula and El Arco where the Sea of Cortez meets the Pacific Ocean.

Our Lady of Sorrows Chapel is used to host weddings and special events.

The alter area had a window that overlooks the sea.

Beautiful views from the chapel. We got our first views of whales spouting off in the deep blue.

Faro El Encanto

The beaches at Hacienda del Mar in the distance on Cabo Bay.

Todos Santos

We took a day trip north to Todos Santos, an artsy town located up the Pacific Coast of the Baja about 60 miles.

Had to take a picture of the Hotel California. The Eagles refuted that this is the Hotel they sang about.

It was very quiet here on the town square with the Mission at one end.

We talked to a couple of the artists. This T-Rex was made from scrap nuts, bolts and other metal hardware. Laura bought a small magnet oil painting of El Arco.

Art piece of whale made from driftwood.

We opted for a special lunch on top of the bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. El Mirador fit the bill. 

Driving up the bluff to reach this restaurant was a bit of an adventure. Steep, sandy, unpaved roads led us a couple miles out of Todos Santos to a stunning view high on a cliff.

We had a delicious lunch, Al Fresco under this thatched roof. The folk/rock music in the background was all from the 60's and 70's and brought back a flood of memories.

After lunch, we visited El Faro, a small, exclusive, sister resort. It is located at beach level accessed via additional steep, sandy roads through the thorn brush. We walked down to the beach and were amazed at the huge waves which appeared calm from the bluff high above.

Cabo

When we visited Cabo San Lucas, we spent most of the time around the Marina area, where many of the vendors got to know us, greeting us as we walked by.

Clear Boat to El Arco

Clear boats are a newer version of a glass bottom boat. The entire boat is made from clear plexiglass.

This is a very unique way to view the fish. Snorkeling without getting wet.

El Arco, only viewable from a boat, is at the most southern tip of the Baja and the dividing line between the Sea of Cortez and the Pacific Ocean.

Whale Watching on the Super Mario

Another boat ride took us to see humpbacked and gray whales. The whales come to the Sea of Cortez to have their calves and nurse them before taking the trip up the west coast to Alaska and the Bering Sea for the summer.

We saw a number of whales on our two-hour journey.

Our panga boat was named Super Mario. A panga is modest-sized, open, outboard-powered, fishing boat. Super Mario was powered by two 75-horse powered outboard engines.

We had an early dinner at Solomon's Landing in the Marina. Our waiter made the seafood guacamole at our table.

One of Laura's favorite activities is feeding the birds our left-over bread and chips.

Sunset Cruise on the EcoCat

We also took a sunset cruise on the EcoCat, a famous multimillion dollar yacht. We enjoyed free beverages and a topside seat to view the sunset.

The two-hour cruise took us around El Arco, Lover's Beach, into the Pacific Ocean and up the Pacific West Coast.

We finally saw the famous "Green Flash" but failed to get a picture. 

Our last view of El Arco just after sunset.

San Jose del Cabo

Our last day we spent the morning swimming and snorkeling at Chileno Bay Beach. After cleaning up and packing, we went to San Jose del Cabo for dinner. It is about 26 miles up the east side of the Baja. 

We had a wonderful Mexican dinner at Los Tres Gallos. The Tres Leche cake was outstanding. This was a great way to end this beautiful trip.

Back in Texas Again

Rocky Point Army Corp of Engineer Park

This beautiful Army Corp Park on Wright Patman Lake just south of Texarkana was a great place to make a five day stop. We arrived on September 14. Since we spanned a weekend, we were able to visit First Lutheran Church in Texarkana where Scott Sundbye is now the pastor. We had a level cement pad, so we were able to easily clean the roof and dry wash our motorhome.

We had a beautiful site right on the lake.

Lone Star Corral - Hondo, Texas

By the end of September, we made our way to the SKP Coop Park in Hondo, just west of San Antonio, where we made our home base for about a month.

Witte Museum

We made a day trip into downtown San Antonio to visit the Witte Museum. The museum has collections featuring historic artifacts and photographs, Texas art, textiles, dinosaur bones, cave drawings, and Texas wildlife dioramas.

Laika Cheesecake

After visiting the Witte Museum, we stopped at Laika Cheesecake.

There were four different kinds of cheesecake offered, Picnic in Space, Carrot Apple, Milky Way Buffet and the cheesecake of the day was Chi Tea.

We took home slices to eat later. Kurt ordered the Picnic in Space, which was a lemon cheesecake with blueberry and meringue. Virginia order Milky Way buffet which was lots of chocolate with an Oreo crust.

Fredericksburg, Texas

We took a day trip to the Old German town of Fredericksburg, about 86 miles north in the Texas Hill Country.

National Museum of the Pacific War

We spent most of the day at the National Museum of the Pacific War. We hadn't been here in almost 30 years. A lot has changed. The museum was greatly expanded by the addition of the George H. W. Bush Gallery. The Gallery is a journey through per-war history and key battles of the Pacific War during WWII, rich with stories and artifacts that bring them to life.

The George H. W. Bush Gallery opened in 1991.

Japanese Midget Submarine which carries two torpedoes.

This B-25 bomber is showcased in the Doolittle Exhibit at the National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg. The B-25 is the plane that was launched from an aircraft carrier in the first attack on mainland Japan.

Restored World War II PT Boat on display in the Pacific Combat Zone.

The F4F "Wildcat" Fighter

A converted Higgins Boat became an Admiral's Barge, similar to the one used by Admiral Chester Nimitz at Pearl Harbor from 1942 to 1944.

The Historic Nimitz Hotel which became the first Gallery of the Nimitz Museum.

After spending the day touring the museum, we had an authentic German dinner at the Auslander Restaurant in downtown Fredericksburg.

Annular Solar Eclipse

We were fortunate to be in Hondo, which was in the center of the eclipse path, to view the complete "Ring of Fire" on Saturday, October 14, 2023.

Purchasing the solar glasses allowed us to view the event.

We watched four minutes of complete coverage of the sun.

Texas State Fair

On October 16 we drove to Dallas for two nights to attend the Texas State Fair with Brian and Laura. We stayed at a Fairfield Inn near downtown Dallas. On Tuesday morning we parked at the garage of Brian and Laura's Air BnB which was adjacent to a DART rail station. The DART dropped us off at the main gate of the fairgrounds.

Our first stop was the Automobile Building. We were there when the doors opened at 10 am.

Brian and Laura enjoying Fried Pizza.

 

Tennessee

When we returned from our Norway and Iceland trip on August 1st, we stayed in Tennessee until after Labor Day. During this time, we took two side trips in our Ranger to visit family. In between we had time to see some interesting places in Tennessee.

TENNESSEE STATE CAPITOL

The Tennessee State Capitol sits atop Capitol Hill, the highest point in Downtown Nashville. This Greek Revival building construction began in 1854 and opened in 1859. We visited on a Saturday. It wasn't busy, but there is no access to the interior on weekends.

We climbed the 140 steps to the top, only to find there was a road up there. But we did get our exercise on this warm, humid day.

View of Nashville from the Capitol porch.

TENNESSEE STATE MUSEUM

Adjacent to the State Capitol is the Tennessee State Museum. This museum records the state's history from its first peoples to present day through interactive displays, art, artifacts and documentary films.

The view of the state capitol building from the museum.

Working Printing Press and Demonstration

VISITING SISTER IN MAYSVILLE, KENTUCKY

Leaving our rig behind, we drove to a beautiful Air BnB high on a cliff overlooking the Ohio River. Cathy and Jim drove from Michigan to meet us in this lovely two-bedroom home for four nights.

The large deck also had a treehouse that overlooked the river.

Maysville, Kentucy, is a historic town located downriver from Cincinnati. We enjoyed watching the barge traffic on the river from our perch high above the city.

While we were there, Cathy and Jim celebrated their 37th wedding anniversary. They picked a delicious Italian restaurant in Maysville for their celebration.

VISITING THE GRANDKIDS IN WESTMINSTER, MARYLAND

Leaving our rig behind again at Paradise on the Mountain RV in Crossville, Tennessee, we drove our Ranger to Maryland for more family visiting.

Jacob and Logan

Julia took us on a tour of her college, Towson University, where she is enrolled as a math major.

Dinner out with the gang.

Sunday dinner with Julia teaching Grandma how to make homemade fettuccini.

THE HERMITAGE

We spent a day touring Andrew Jackson's historic home and museum. This is one of the nation's oldest and largest historic sites. The 7th president of the United States was often referred to as the People's President.

The carriage road into the home is lined with Eastern Red Cedars.

The Hermitage was built in 1821.

Garden resting place of Andrew Jackson and his beloved wife, Rachel.

Restored Slave Quarters

The Jacksons had up to 150 slave laborers.

The contrast between the two was striking, he was 6'1" and weighed only 140 pounds.

STONES RIVER NATIONAL BATTLEFIELD

This significant Civil War battle took place December 31, 1862, through January 2, 1863, engaging over 81,000 men. This battle marked the beginning of the fall of Nashville, the first confederate state capitol to fall. Tennessee was the last southern state to succeed and the first to rejoin the Union.

The Battle of Stones River was one of the bloodiest encounters of the Civil War with over 24,000 casualties.

Over 6,100 Union Soldiers are buried in this National Cemetery, 2,500 of them unknown.

The Hazen Artillery Brigade Monument is in recognition of the men who fought along the Hell's Half Acre line. This monument was built by comrades in 1863 and is the oldest Civil War memorial in existence.