Another cold morning greeted us, 31°. Walmart beckoned for a few items forgotten, bicycle tires aired, and we continued to “settle in” for the long haul. Needing some outdoor activity, several routes were driven in an attempt to find Casa Grande Mountain Park (a city park) in order to hike one of its several trails; no such luck as every route seemed to end with a dead end, flooded road, or never never land.

We opted to tour Casa Grande Ruins National Monument from which Casa Grande gets its name. The national monument consists of the ruins of multiple adobe structures surrounded by a compound wall constructed by the ancient people of the Hohokam period. These people farmed the Gila Valley in the early 13th century. Evidence strongly suggests that the ancient Sonoran Desert people who built the Casa Grande Also developed wide-scale irrigation farming and trade routes which lasted over a thousand years until about 1450 C.E. Casa Grande, aka the “big house”, refer to the largest structure on the site, which is what remains of of a four-story structure thought to have been abandoned by 1450. The large house consists of outer rooms, three stories high,  surrounding an inner structure, four stories high.

While the ruins were impressive, so were the cacti surrounding the compound—a photographer’s haven.

We awoke to very cold weather, at least for us, 27°. In addition a smattering of snow fell during the night, but did not affect road conditions. Though the forecast called for heavy winds again, we did not feel any, nor experience any problems. Snow covered the desert floor in many places, and the expanse of pecan orchards was mind boggling —pecan trees as far as the eye could see! Neither of us had ever seen even a tiny amount of pecan trees compared to these humongous orchards. Passing through Tucson, we turned northward and rolled into Palm Creek RV and Golf Resort in Casa Grande, AZ, our place of residence for the next couple of months. Coincidentally, we pulled into the check-in lane beside Steve and Mary Seitz, also from the Village. Apparently, we had traveled the same route at the same time since leaving AR.

Check-in was smooth, and we were escorted to the site, with Canadians on either side of us. Set-up was uneventful.

Why we (I) chose this to be our longest driving day is beyond logic—significant gain in elevation, over 4,000 feet, and 25 mph headwinds for the entire day.  Fortunately, we did not experience any heavy cross winds, though Kay did drive in freezing rain for several minutes. Again, taking turns driving, we made great progress on this western trip, covering 455 miles. Though the wind made driving difficult, we again took turns, and the day passed quickly; gas mileage was horrendous!

Surprisingly were the number of pecan orchards in West Texas, particularly considering the arid climate and near desert conditions. Acre upon acre of trees occupied the otherwise barren environment; most had been recently pruned. Neither Kay nor I had ever seen so many pecan trees! 

Near the end of the day, we crossed into mountain time zone, giving us another hour. We overnighted at Dreamcatcher RV Park in Deming, New Mexico. After setting up and socializing with other guests, Kay and I had a delicious Mexican meal.

Waiting until traffic somewhat abated in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area, we departed Bluebonnet Cabins and RV Park at 8:40 AM. The drive on I-20 south of Dallas was relatively easy. Again taking turns driving the 321 miles, we arrived at Elite Cabins and RV Park in Sandy Springs, TX, at about 3:15 PM. The RV Park was dirt and gravel (available RV spaces are far and few between as oil and gas workers occupy most of them; this is in the Permian Basin). Regrettably, at least for me, there was hidden dog poop all over the place, and I stepped in some while unhooking the tow vehicle, tracking it onto mats, linoleum, and carpet—the next 30 minutes were spent cleaning shoes, mats, and the inside of the MH! A low rating is likely for this RV park.

It took two more carloads of “stuff” to complete packing the motorhome. After getting everything settled in the motorhome, we hooked up the tow car and discovered that we could not find the remote sensor for the auxiliary brake. After looking “everywhere” in the motorhome and the tow car, we could not find where I “hid” it. This necessitated another trip back to the house via the motorbike and tow vehicle, the narrow Hot Springs Village streets nevertheless, to see if I left it on the workbench—no such luck. Oh well, just another faux pas; we can travel without it.

The 285 mile drive was uneventful, and we pulled in to Bluebonnet RV Park and Terrell, TX, just after 4:30 PM. Kay and I shared driving duties as well as planning for rest breaks and overnight stops.

Christmas Day was anticlimactic; holiday festivities with family and friends occurred earlier in the week. Kay busily deconstructed Christmas decorations, while I worked on “information management” software and hardware. We took a break to exchange gifts with friends Pam and Don, and then continued packing away ornaments and trees. Late afternoon we drove to the motorhome storage bay with a load of stuff, mostly my computer and photographic gear. After installing the bike rack on the car, we could not find the lock key anywhere. We looked everywhere, and then out of desperation, looked in my bedside table drawer, and, low and behold, there it was. Christmas Day proved to be an exhausting day for us!

Waking up several times during the short night, both Kay and I got up about 4:30 AM Tuesday morning (9:30 PM Monday, Central Standard Time), put the luggage outside the door to be picked up, had breakfast, and boarded the bus to the airport. No problems were encountered at either Charles de Gaulle Airport or Chicago Ohare; in fact, both were quite efficient, including immigration and customs. Each of the flights arrived early. Many thanks to Dana Connally at Vacation Valet in Hot Springs Village. She went above and beyond attempting to solve our first day trip disruption. 

The area of France we toured, Normandy and Paris, were delightful to say the least. The rural French countryside was breathtaking, especially with peaking leaf colors—about two weeks behind us. We especially liked the small villages, towns, and cities along the River Seine, with their quaintness and medieval architecture. People were courteous, but not unfriendly. Little English is spoken, but pointing and hand signs worked. Prices for foods, tea, and coffee were much less expensive than in large US cities, and were very, very tasty. The weather during the trip was typical Arkansas winter weather—temperatures in the 40s, cloudy, and some rain—though it did not impede us. The parts of France we saw were really clean. Our guides were especially good, and experts in the the things we saw. Viking was great as usual, once we were on the ship. ALL staff and services were above average, as was the food and drink. We will definitely sail with them again, Lord willing.

We took way too many clothes, but we did have the right layers. Thus, the cool, wet weather did not adversely impact our various excursions. 

We are scheduled to tour England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland for 24 days in September 2020. Want to join us? 

Depending on health, family, etc. the Balkans (Eastern Europe), Mediterranean, and New Zealand are high on the list, too. At our age international travel becomes more challenging each trip!

Cold temperatures and rain did not dampen our enthusiasm for seeing Paris. The 8-hour tour covered all the highlights of this wonderful city as we viewed essentially all the “big name” sights, Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Elysees, Pantheon, Louvre, and stops at the Eiffel Tower and the Notre Dame Cathedral. Photo making opportunities were very limited because of the rain. About three hours of “free time” allowed us to walk the streets near Notre Dame Cathedral, enjoying the sights, sounds, and smells of Europe’s second largest city. Small shops abounded, and prices declined the further one was away from the Cathedral. Numerous eateries—most had outdoor areas —were inner mixed with the shops. We had coffee, tea, and croissants at a corner cafe across from Notre Dame. Paris is known for its pickpockets, but we did not experience any issues. Public toilets were immaculate, as they have been in all of France.

Back at the ship, we enjoyed a great dinner before taking on the chore of packing for the return trip home; luggage is out the door at 5:15 AM.

After a full 11-hour day yesterday, we slept in this morning, had a leisurely late breakfast, and enjoyed a restful few hours

Today’s excursion was to the small northern French village of Les Andelys, located on a bend of the River Seine about 60 miles northwest of Paris.  White cliffs along the river greet visitors traveling the meandering Seine. Overlooking the village are the ruins of Richard Lionheart’s medieval castle, Chateau Gaillard. Construction began in 1196 under the auspices of Richard the Lionheart who was simultaneously King of England and feudal Duke of Normandy. Les Andelys was built at the same time to accommodate workers building the castle.

Today’s guide lead us from the Viking Rinda along cobblestone streets to the gothic Saint-Sauveur church (containing one of the finest organs in France). The cathedral-like church was built concurrently with the castle, and is surrounded surrounded by lovely half-timbered buildings. We immensely enjoyed walking the narrow cobbled streets lined with tourist shops selling their wares.

An early start and long day awaited us as we boarded the bus for two-hour ride to Omaha Beach, one of the “landing sites, on D-Day, June 6, 1944.

The overwhelming beauty of the French countryside was apparent through the bus windows as the bus made its way westward. Dairy farms, pastures with beef cattle (Charlois), and recently harvested corn and beet fields among the gently rolling hills reminded us of the Ozark foothills. Fall was in the air with cool temperatures and leaf color was at its peak.

The tour included four stops. First was Arromanches, near the middle of where Canadian and British forces came ashore, respectively Juno and Gold Beaches, where we toured a small museum, and observed the beaches still strewn with floating, British-built concrete breakwaters (sunk when floated into place) and floating bridges strung together to create single lane “roads” from ships to the shore. The second stop was at an array of German gun bunkers high on a bluff overlooking the beach. Many of the bunkers are still intact. After lunch at a local hotel, the third stop was at the Normandy American Cemetery where the remains of 9,400 American service men and women are interred; in addition, over 1500 are still missing. Viking arranged for a solemn dedication ceremony at the cemetery and monument, and veterans in our group placed a wreath at the foot of the Spirit of American Youth Rising from the Waves sculpture. (Average age of the Americans interred there was 23.) Lastly, we walked Obama beach—impossible not to think of bodies virtually covering the beach as far as one’s eye could see.

After a long two hour ride back to the ship, we were greeted with a cup of rum-infused hot chocolate.