Highways and Fairways

Suffering from L-tryptophanitis

Otherwise known as ...too much starchy fatty foods in a short period of time!  Let's catch up...we made it to Redlands, CA for Thanksgiving as has been our goal from day one.  Why Redlands?  Well, besides the fact that this is where family is...

Mom threw a wonderful Thanksgiving spread for a small group of us and then did it all over again for 22 of us on Saturday as we welcomed my daughter's husband to the family.  They had a small wedding in July so mom wanted to throw a party for the Southern CA clan to meet Gerardo.  Don't they make an adorable couple?

Good news, Gerardo has the genetic make-up to pass the spoon test and therefore has been accepted into the Barnett family:

While in my home town, we enjoyed walking the neighborhood and taking in the beautiful mountains I didn't know I missed...

And we saw things like this...

And Peanut got a much needed hair cut (Mohawk):

We also (finally) got in some golf, something that had to happen as I was starting to slur my speech and drool.  My non golfer Mom recommended that we play the PGA owned course in Beaumont and what a treat!  Although they are no longer owned by the PGA, they still host Q schools for several of the tours.  I didn't realize how much I love being surrounded by the majestic mountains that were such a large and unnoticed part of my childhood, but the course gave me more opportunities to take in their beauty.

Now, Elizabeth, Mike got his feelings hurt with your comment about his skills with the big wood.  He really is an excellent driver:

Kidding aside, his drive on the first hole was not only 340 yards, but it landed him in the fairway and nearly on the green!

It was a beautiful but chilly day as a cold front came in over night, dropping the temp 30 degrees and dusting the mountains.  The course itself was fairly easy in terms of kind landing areas, few bunkers, and no water.  I wasn't sure how it could be tough enough for the wannabe pros...until the first green.  Thank goodness there was no water on the course or my putter would be swimming with the fishies.  The greens were fast (12 to 13), severely sloping, and after my second FOUR putt, I just about airmailed my putter into these lovely canyons:

However I know that I am too cheap to buy a new putter and throwing it meant facing these on my way to retrieve this ornery stick:

Tonight we sit at a Winnebago Repair place.  They have a few more issues to address but we should be back on our trip by Wednesday.  No more gummy duct tape and Saran Wrap in my shower!

Thanks to mom, we have eaten very well though a bit too much.  We'll have to scale back in the food department and scale up in the golfing area, especially by walking the courses!

Next stop is Palm Springs followed by the Phoenix area.  Mike has a Pittsburgh buddy (and pro golfer) who has offered to assist us with our golf destination there.  As well we are very hopeful to see Bob and Sue, Barefoot buddies who will be there too.

Still putting together my golf map which now has 180 potential stops.  Once completed, I will share it for my fellow golf nuts.

Thanks again for listening.  We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and, like us, have much to be thankful for, small or large!

Good bye to our dear San Diego friends

Where can you go on any Sunday afternoon for an instant party including fabulous wine, pizza made in their outdoor oven, bocce ball (2 lighted courts), and opera singing (often by the same dude making the pizza (Herman)?  If you live in the San Diego area, just stop in to Rose and Herman's home where their door is always open.

A much better way to spend a Sunday afternoon than watching Ben blow another Steeler game!  Would you believe we met our SECOND Guiness Book world record holder?  I've gone my whole life without meeting one and we've met two on this trip.

Joe is considered a card carrying world's most fit man (yes, he carries a card).  On the back you can read all of the things he did to earn this title but it will tire me out to list them all and I really want a nap just thinking of it!

Monday, while Mike and Pino shopped for fresh fish, I had a couple of hours to myself.  I hoofed it over to the hacky par three course and was fortunate enough to be hooked up with Jean and Dotty for nine holes of golf!  These ladies are in their 80's and meet every Monday morning for nine holes followed by lunch and gossip.  I was sure I could take them...until the 2nd hole when 84 year old Dotty hit the perfect tee shot for a tap in Birdie!

I came through on the last hole to earn a ride on the birdie horsey myself, but it wasn't good enough to take down Dotty! 

Yep, tee shirts are welcomed at this course!

So while I was out golfing and later catching a movie with Peggy (Blind Side--SEE IT!), Mike and Pino were busy shopping for dinner:

Uni, Toro, Himachi, Unagi, YUM!

Peggy and Pino were wonderful to open their home to us...

We missed Denise and Jeff as poor Denise was very much under the weather--or she knew we'd be making her eat raw fish?  Or feared I'd make Jeff ride the birdie horsey around the living room?  JK, so hope you are feeling better.

Some of our readers are cracking me up.  Elizabeth commented that it appears Mike is saving his best driving for the RV.  Jody thought we should have taken a picture of the Steer in San Antonio riding the birdie horsey and told us to dismiss San Antonio due to the rattlesnakes.

Off to Moms shortly!  We made it!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Ahhh, back in sunny San Diego

After a stopover in Yuma (still not sure whey we did THAT), we arrived in San Diego on Friday!  In case you've never made the drive into CA, you may not realize that this state is a desert.  The first 100 miles or so looks pretty much like this:

We found a beautiful RV resort on Mission Bay which was chosen for its location--next door to Mission Bay Golf course!  OK, so it's a hacky little par three dog patch, but it has lights so I can practice all night if I want to!  Truth be told, we picked it for the sunsets...

We weren't able to play Torrey Pines.  Sigh.  That is one municipal course that is quite punitive where out-of-towners are concerned.  First, we can't make a tee time less than 7 days in advance (we aren't much in the advanced planning department).  Second, the green fee is over $200!  We just can't drop that kind of coin on a trip that has to last for at least a year.  So, we opted for another municipal course here that is more reasonable on both counts:

Balboa Golf Club is a scenic and hilly course, located in downtown San Diego across the street from the world famous zoo.  Guess who wanted to walk this rolling course???

Forgive him, he doesn't walk much so he didn't know the pull carts are supposed to stay off the green!  We had quite a horse race, ending up in a dead tie at 82.  I was happy with a tie considering I didn't get my customary 100 yard + advantage off the tee.  In fact they only had three tee boxes to chose from, bummer.  The greens were not in the best of shape and the fairways were spotty in a few places, but otherwise the course was in decent shape.  It was a real test of my up and downhill lie skills.  Having learned to golf in Myrtle Beach, I haven't had a lot of practice at that part of my game, but it is getting better.  We really need to leave Saturdays for the poor folks who have to work the rest of the week.  Suffice to say it was a long round.

But beautiful...

The Coronado Bridge was a nice backdrop...

Last night we got together with our good friends who are also Mike's wine making buddies:

Tony/Angela, Pino/Peggy always take care of us when we're in San Diego and last night was no exception.

I have come to realize, having lived outside of CA for nearly 5 years, that perhaps CA deserves some of the nutty/screwy jokes at its expense.  This car pulled up next to us on our way to Tony & Angela's house last night...

We still have no idea what that's about!  I'm just glad I had my camera on me!

Friends, family, Thanksgiving, and RV repairs are on the agenda for the next week and a half so not sure when I can write of fairways again.  Today we are headed to our favorite winery in Ramona (Salerno's) and I can't wait to see Denise and Jeff tomorrow night!

Warmly,

From Snow to SHORTS!

It took us two days to get to Tucson stopping for a night in Deming, New Mexico alongside fellow RV brethren at the only Walmart within 200 miles.  Apparently this is such a popular RV stop that the Wal Mart security guard acts as a valet, escorting RV's to their parking spots.  What a hoot!

On the way I heard from Mechelle, my co-leader in this year's World Am and fast friend, asking where we were.  When I told her we were headed toward Tuscon she and her golfing hubby Pete got busy scheduling our golf.  She said that her in-laws, Lee and Mavis, live in Marana, just north of Tuscon and that their club would be perfect for us.  We found an RV park there in one of our many directories and pointed our house toward Marana.  As we were pulling into our spot that evening she called to sadly report that Pete's parents' course was closed for a tournament!  Pete immediately got on the phone with the local pro and set us up to play an outstanding alternate course--home of the PGA  Accenture Match Play tournament, The Ritz Carlton, Dove Mountain!!!

Before I get into the breath-taking pics of the golf course, you must see our accommodations, set in one of many cotton fields in the area.  How many of you knew that the 2nd biggest crop in Arizona is cotton?

It has been one of our quietest parks, except of course for the trains.  Can someone please tell me why RV parks are always set up along the Pacific or Atlantic Railway systems?  And does every train conductor have an Aunt Claire in every RV park we're staying that he must honk at her on his way through at 2, 3, 4, 5 am???  Sheesh.

On to golf, and oh what golf it was!  Pete warned us to keep the ball in the fairway or we'd likely never see that ball again.  Pete, I must beg to differ.  Mike didn't hit the first fairway, AND we still found his ball:

We will have fun watching the pros play this course early next year knowing we brought it to its knees.  Ha!  We enjoyed playing bent grass greens for a welcome change.  They were huge and undulating but fair, depending on the pin placement.  I started to look like a golfer again on the back nine (we won't speak of the front).  I was one under par until the 18th hole (don't we hear those words out of every golfer's mouth?).  I was on in regulation and 4 putted!  That was without yips, Bob!  Oy!

Mike played well too, losing only ONE ball- a big deal on a desert course (and for Mike)!

From the tips the course is nearly 8000 yards, a little too much for Mike.  He's been playing from the tips every time but opted for the Blues (still 7300 yards) at the Ritz.  It was 5300 from the ladies tees and I felt like a woosie playing behind some ladies a good 10 years older who were playing from the gold tees at 6300 yards! 

The wild life was fun...I love Roadrunners, meee meep!

Being the Ritz, the club house, restaurant, and service were impeccable.  The hotel is scheduled to open next month and the course has been open since January, so everything is brand-spankin' new.  This is just the grill room!

And oh the course...

That is a real wooden stick!

As we sipped our "award winning prickly pear margaritas", we spoke with the Ritz sales guy and learned that for a cool $1.5 million we could buy a duplex in the community--oh and that's just half of a duplex!  Being the generous sort that he is he said he'd throw in the $80,000 membership and cover our cart fees for a year or two.  Next!

Afterward Lee and Mavis were kind enough to invite these golf gypsy strangers to their home, just a mile or two from the Ritz.  They live on another beautiful course that we hope to play on the flip side of this tour.  Their neighborhood and course are MUCH more affordable, only one small problem.  We're too young!  We'll have to pass a few more birthdays before they'll let us in.  Lee and Mavis couldn't have been kinder--fabulous appetizers and wine that even my wine snob loved!  It's a Sicilian wine: Ruggero di Tasso.  If you should see that in the local Piggly Wiggly, pick it up!  We look forward to seeing them again soon, though this time we've promised to give them more than 12 hours notice for a tee time!

Peanut and Pepper are ready to hit the road.  We're off to San Diego, their birthplace!!!

Sunny Arizona will have to wait

This morning we woke to this and after much consternation decided to stay put in New Mexico...

Apparently slide outs don't come back in with a couple of inches of snow/ice on them, sigh.

Peanut and Pepper like it though!  Pepper can hide without trying and Peanut should try to hide (no shame)!

 

Check out our neighbors at this trailer park:

We're off to find a Steeler bar!  Big game against the Bengals today.  Go Steelers!!!

Juanita

Sorry New Mexico, you are out!

First, a very big thank you to Dennis Y.  Dennis, a world am buddy, referred us to Paa Ko Ridge in the mountains just north of Albequerque, NM.  What an incredible experience!  We played with a guy who drove 45 minutes from Santa Fe to play this course because in his opinion it is the best in all of New Mexico.  It has also been voted in the top 50 for public courses through several national publications and now we know why.  What we didn't know was why so many other knuckleheads were out playing in 39 degree weather with hail and sleet right along with us.  Apparently folks are trying to get in their last few rounds before the courses close for the winter.  Huh?  Courses do that???  We'll be peddling pretty fast toward the sun so as to never hear those evil words again!

Kidding aside, we were so glad we made the decision to come and play this course in the Sandia mountains.

Any golfer willing to be humbled needs to put this course on their itinerary if they are anywhere near the area.  It was long...the Ladies Tee box was 5700 yards with a 200 and a 175 yard par 3.  That's just crazy talk!  And it was long for the big guy too.  He took this picture from one of his tee boxes:

Yep, that says 625 yards for Mike.  492 for me and oddly enough this was one of the few holes I par'd today.  And don't buy the line of crap that the balls go farther in this 7000+ altitude...at least they don't when it's 39 degrees.  But oh, what vistas:

And yes, he did find some long pants in his golf bag so that he could play with me today.  Mike couldn't believe I made him play in this weather.  He had to photograph the hail as it came down on my shot...

Check out the guy playing with us...yes black waterproof boxers over his 501's!

Here are s few more of the pictures from Paa Ko Ridge:

 

Last night we found the longest tram in the world--takes you to the top of the Sandia Peak.  We got as far as the Mexican restaurant at the bottom of the platform.  Great fish tacos, but no Bistro 217.  The sun was setting as we got to the tram area and we had to take a few pics there too.

 
Tomorrow we are off to warmer Arizona!

Thanks for listening,

Highways & Highways

If you're looking for a golf course review, you'll have to wait until my next post.  We have been driving and driving and driving...who made Texas so damn big???  For my east coast friends who are drowning right now in the massive rain storms (we're thinking of you) I have pictures taken from our drive of areas that are beyond dry.  Following is a short picture show (I promise) of what we saw on our 9 hour drive yesterday from San Antonio to El Paso.  I apologize for the quality of the pictures, but we were humming down the road at the posted speed limit when I shot these...

We are now in a campground just north of Albuquerque where we accidentally stumbled on freezing weather.  That was not in the plan!!!  It is beautiful here (7200 feet above sea level) and we do plan to brave the elements and check out the Turquoise Trail and a few other sights.  A cold front is moving in tonight and we may get snow!  Doesn't matter to me though as tomorrow we have a tee time at Paa Ko Ridge in the Sandia Mountains, a course consistently in the top ten of public courses.  Mike has warned me that I may be going it alone --whiny baby didn't bring any long pants.  I can't wait to play it and a big thank you to Dennis Y, another World Am buddy, for the recommendation!

One more note for my mom:  First, we really didn't go 80 mph.  Secondly, as you know we have had you in mind as we've looked for our next home, requiring a second bedroom downstairs and a walk in shower for you.  In the event we decide to maintain this roadside lifestyle, I found a solution for when you want to come for a visit.  How would this be for mom quarters?

That's it for now.  Steer clear of black cats and a happy Friday the 13th!

Juanita

Happy Veteran's Day from San Antonio

As we continue with our journey we pause to think of those who have given of their lives, their bodies, their time in service to our country.  We also hope that peace is in the near future of those still serving.

Today we played one of the finest public courses in Texas, Canyon Springs in San Antonio.  I had to buy Mike a logo shirt from the pro shop with their famed stage coach logo that sits near the driving range:

Kevin (from Houston fame) recommended that we get a picture of the long horn near the pro shop.  I thought he meant a statue or some big horns on the mantle.  I didn't realize he meant this:

These legendary beasts are well known to attack for no reason whatsoever .......

And what Mike didn't realize was that the long horns' pen was also in play on the first hole...

Look closely, one of those two balls was Mike's drive on the first hole!  It really was a great course, public or otherwise.  We loved the lay out and Mike found a couple of guys to play from the tips with him...

Dave and Rob were a lot of fun to play with today.  Dave is the first person I've met who is actually in the Guinness Book of World Records!  Apparently he has spun 12 basketballs at once!!!  Wow.  Golf has a way of introducing you to pals you would never otherwise know on the path we call life.  Rob is also a cool guy who grew up in California and has now found himself in love with San Antonio.  He has about sold us on living here (and having a time share in Cabo)...great weather, few bugs, fabulous courses, a lake nearby.  Rob was also the only one of the four of us to ride the famous birdie horsey:

Last night we "did" the River Walk downtown.  We found it to be a perfect combination of the Venetian in Las Vegas and the Gas Lamp District in San Diego...very cool.  Tomorrow we will see the Alamo on our way out of town.

Until the next time...

 

Houston, We don't have a problem

We had a quiet Sunday, laundry, grocery shopping, and a stroll through Old Town Spring (just outside of Houston & spitting distance from our campground).  It reminded us both of Julian, near San Diego...but nowhere in San Diego will you find a cafe like this one:

Today was fantastic.  Thanks to the word put out by the World Am, we connected with Kevin at his club on Lake Conroe (Walden).  He drove 65 miles to play with us today, after having won his club championship over the weekend at yet another of his clubs.  What a welcome to Texas he gave us:

The course was beautiful, not as long as some we have played, but still quite challenging.  It uses the lake as a back drop quite well on one famed hole that has been voted the BEST (challenging, scenic, you name it) hole in all of Texas by several publications.

The club is affordable, the homes on the lake and the golf course quite reasonably priced, and I didn't sense a stuffy bone anywhere.  I could see this place as my next home especially because I could feed both of my addictions: golf and water skiing!

Mike didn't have one of his best rounds here, partly because his tee shots usually put him in places like this:

We learned a lot about Kevin, who is a very accomplished businessman and golfer (last three rounds: 73, 71, 75) and very kind to strangers like us.  One interesting tidbit--he had a role in Tin Cup-- he was Don Johnson's stand in!  Beyond going to the trouble of hooking us up for terrific golf today, before we got back to the trailer park, he called us to say that he got us a tee time at our next stop (San Antonio) at a schwank club at a GREAT price on Wednesday.  What a guy!  And when he got a birdie today, he hopped right on the birdie horsey with no hesitation:

I'm not sure if anyone else will invite us to their club after seeing photos like this one ...or they'll avoid getting birdies like I seem to do anyway.

We are thinking about our friends we just left behind who are waiting out Hurricane Ida.  We have been fortunate enough to stay right in front of storms so far.

Until San Antonio...

As Roseanne Roseanna Danna would say...

"It's always something." 

It's been over a month of being on the road and yesterday Mike grudgingly allowed me, for the first time, to drive this monstrosity.

After driving more than 100 miles I pulled us into this rest area and once I'd turned off the engine we heard a strange sound coming from the bathroom.  Turns out it was thousands of pieces of glass slowly separating from our shower door!  Sure the one time I drive!  Am guessing there is a pothole on I-10 West somewhere saying, "Ohhh, did I do that?". 

My MacGiver Sweetie Pie used the duct tape (thanks for telling us to bring some, Dick M) and some Saran Wrap to repair the shower door so we can use it while waiting for a new door to get shipped to us somewhere, someday.  It actually works!

I did however drive us across another state border:

We are now in Houston at a campground recommended by some fellow travelers we met at a Flying J (Rayford Crossing).  We really need to get more recommendations that way.  The place is great!  Shuffleboard, horse shoes, swimming pool, hot tub, fishing pond, horse back riding, and parrots! 

Today we played Black Horse, a course recommended by my bud in Baton Rouge.  The comedian behind the desk told me that if we couldn't finish before dark (we had a 12:50 tee time) then we should take up tennis.  We have been very spoiled with our rounds in under 3 hours for the past few weeks, but today we raced to beat the sun in.  I wouldn't recommend Black Horse on a weekend as it is just too popular.  The back nine was extremely photogenic, especially with the sun setting on our game.

Yep, that's a cart path running over/through a lake.  It really was a nice and challenging course--fair greens, open fairways, and beautiful scenery, complete with raccoons and Beavers.  However, we were reminded of why we are in search of a private club (TMP- too many people).  On the subject of private clubs, it looks like we will be set up to play Walden on Lake Conroe Monday, thanks to Kevin Duke, a fellow World Am competitor.  I can't wait!  Tomorrow we will enjoy a Sunday with no fairways and no highways--amazing how much laundry can pile up!  

Thanks again for all of the wonderful words of encouragement!

Juanita