The Real Adventure Begins!

   So, we feel like the REAL adventure began today as we started the journey to Texas.  We left the base at about 9:15 after filling up the propane tank at the CG.  Then we pulled into a Pilot to gas up Harvey and adjust the air pressure in the tires.  We left there at 10:00.  Alabama, here we come!  Smooth sailing, hardly any traffic, and a beautiful day to travel.  Praise the Lord!!  We decided to stop for lunch at a Love's station off Route 10 at exit 262 in Lee, FL.  We got out to stretch and "potty" and then I made sandwiches which we ate in Harvey.  We were back on the road by 1:30.  We arrived at the CG at Fort Rucker Army Base at 4:00 (including the hour time change).  John said it would take about 6 hours.  What a genius!!  Engineer Beach RV Park is lovely!  There are lots of high trees and the sites are very roomy.  They all have cement slabs and many of them are pull-throughs.  We have one of those.  The park is located near beautiful Lake Tholocco. 

There's Harvey on site 17.  It is actually
parallel to the main road.  It was so easy to pull in!!
John was a bit sorry he didn't get to show off
his backing in skills!

Oh, yikes, how am I supposed to have a
comfortable ride on my bike??

This is the view from Harvey.  Lake Tholocca
is in the background.

These are the sites in the inner circle.  They are
all being renovated with cement pads.

Another view of the lake from the bank.

We got all set up and then took a trip to the commissary to pick up a few more groceries.  I talked with Heather on the way.  She moved from one side of York to the other on Sunday.  Dustin and some other friends/relatives of hers helped also. TW was supposed to help, but he got sick the night before.  A big THANK YOU to all who helped!!   Then we went to the Landing Zone Bar and Grill on base for $5 hamburger night.  The burgers were delicious!!  Good choice, Honey.  You did it again...you're a genius!  We played 5 Crowns when we got back.  I won this time, so we are tied at 1-1.  John did some reading, I worked on the blog, and then we went to bed.
   On Friday morning after a delicious breakfast that John cooked we walked down to the community bldg to check it out along with the laundry, bathrooms and showers.  We don't have sewer hook ups here, so we WILL be using those! 

On the way we saw this "tent" called a "Yurt".  We're
not sure whether it is owned by the CG or if it's
someone's long term tent.  I peeked inside and it
has a bunk bed with a single on top and a double
on the bottom, a 4 drawer dresser and a night stand.

 

We tried to play this Foosball, but we just couldn't
get the hang of it.

 

Nice set-up to watch TV.

Oh, I almost forgot...we get a new state on our map!!  

Alabama has entered the map!!

Then we drove back into Dothan, about 30 miles, to check out the murals that we read about.  But first we stopped at Pizza Hut for lunch.  Downtown Dothan was pretty run down, but the murals were neat.

The steamboat was named after the guy
in the inset.

I'm not into Country music, so I don't know
who these guys are.

This is Ray Charles.  So far, all the murals were
done by the same guy.  All the rest were done
by someone different.

Close ups of the one above.

I loved the turkeys!!

I think the cat won the staring contest!

Lock how much the froggie is enjoying his backrub

John got a little too close...ouchie!

John and his darn ducks.

How majestically beautiful is that?!?

This was outside a lawyers office...
"Blind Justice".

  And the weather was gorgeous...about 75 and no wind.  It might actually be a record for this time of the year here. We stopped at a store called Burkes Outlet.  I wanted to go there because the sign looked just like the Bealls Outlet that I love to shop at in Florida.  It was identical.  I didn't ask if there was a connection, but there must be.  Much to John's surprise, I didn't find anything that I couldn't live without.

While waiting for me to get done at Burkes Outlet
John spied this at the Winn Dixie bake shop.
Gee...the game was Monday night.  I'm
not sure if it would still be very fresh??

  We stopped at CVS and then went back to the base to visit the exchange store.  We both found a few things and then I spotted a clearance rack for the grandboys.  Got some really good bargains there.  The one for the grandgirls was disappointing...didn't find anything.  Then back to Harvey.  We had leftovers for supper and then played 5 Crowns.  I won...now 2-1...me.  John read and watched TV(yes, he can do both at the same time) and I worked on pictures we took today and the blog.  He went to bed rather early.  I kept working.  I think we are having trouble adjusting to the time change plus the sound of helicopters can make it hard to fall asleep.  This Army base specializes in training helicopter pilots.  They fly over the CG all day and all night.  It's 12 midnight and there goes another one.  OK...I'm going to bed now.
   It's Saturday morning and I was a bit of a lazy bones!  John got up about 8am, but I didn't roll out until 10:30.  Well...I was cozy, I was watching the old western, Maverick, and I was answering emails and texts.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it!!  We had breakfast, got showers and then went to the PX to get some bigger nails to fix the molding in Harvey, but they didn't have the right ones.  Then we went to the Army Aviation Museum on base.  We enjoyed that a lot!  We must have...we were there for almost 2 hours!

This is the kind of helicopter that we hear all day and night!

Looks just like the medivac helicopters on MASH.

All the exhibits were so life-like!

The wheels of this jeep looked like they were
covered with wet mud.

I never saw such a skinny helicopter.  It only
held 2 pilots and was used for firing at the enemy.

The "tube" on this helicopter is used to fuel it
while it is in the air.  WOW!

This "Raven" is used for surveillance and is hand launched!
You can read about it below.

This gives you just a small glimpse of how
many helicopters and planes are hanging from the ceiling!

Notice the Jeep INSIDE the belly of this huge helicopter!

This helicopter is called, "Army One" because it was the
designated aircraft used to transport President Eisenhower.

The wheels had these inflation devices used to land
on the grass at the White House and on water, if necessary.

This is the Presidential Seal on the side.

We had to go off base to find a hardware store in Ozark about 20 minutes away.  We got what we needed and then after a recommendation from the salesperson there we traveled about 10  minutes more to "Milky Moos" for ice cream.  My hot fudge sundae was delicious, but the "homemade" ice cream was a bit of a disappointment.  We stopped for some "adult" beverages on the way back.  When we got back I worked on the molding (with about 80% success) while John did some outside prep for our departure tomorrow.  Then he grilled for supper and we watched the Texans/Patriots game.  We went to bed before it was over.
   Tomorrow we will be travelling to Mississippi to Keesler Fam CG just outside the Keesler Air Force Base.  We have about a 4 hr drive.