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| The View from our home in Galveston. That's the Gulf of Mexico. Right across the street. |
More on our time in New Orleans on the next post. Fantastic city.
C'ya
Bump
09 April 2016
Programs! Get your programs, here!
We knew it was going to happen. Just didn't know how soon. We have been calling ahead to campgrounds one day in advance. But, now that we have gotten to Texas, we find 'no room at the Inn' in Austin. Something might be going on, because all the campgrounds are booked for the days we planned to go there. No biggie. We'll just leisurely make our way to San Antonio. (Reservations are made now, all the way to Los Cruces, when we meet up with Goddaughter Kym and her family.
More on our time in New Orleans on the next post. Fantastic city.
C'ya
Bump
More on our time in New Orleans on the next post. Fantastic city.
C'ya
Bump
07 April 2016
"Doctor Gumbo, I presume?'
Latest Update on the Kaczorowski World Tour
"Rainbows and Unicorns" part 1.
As will be expected on an adventure such as this, traffic will be encountered. That was the case on DAY ONE as we tried to get through Cincinnati. The plan for our first day on the trip was to go about 500 miles south to try and get below the 'frost' line so the pipes would not freeze in the trailer. Well, I-75 was closed to all south bound traffic just before Cincinnati, so the detour added over an hour to an already long first day. We almost rear-ended a very small Japanese car as she decided to stop dead in the second lane while I was gaining a head of steam with my 10 ton rig. Lots of horn work did not make a difference and the brakes and tires worked well and a disaster was avoided. Clue-less, she drove away as if nothing ever happened. In the end, Rainbows and Unicorns prevailed.
"Gas Mileage Triple Threat"
Lots of money was spent prior to this trip on the truck to help reliability, comfort and mileage. That being said, a truck that weighs over 6900 lbs, pulling a fully loaded Jayco fifth wheel at 14, 500 lbs up a 5% grade, with a 40 mph headwind is a fuel mileage killer. We still realized 8 mpg. Well below my 10 mpg goal, but the new engine and tune up was worth every penny.
"Rainbows and Unicorns" part 2
In contrast to Cincinnati, Birmingham AL was a dream. When we saw the 'red' line on the GPS tracker and expected 'rush hour', we were delayed five minutes. Rush hour my ass.
"TEXT FLASH: Flood warning for the area you are in"
Not something you see at home, for sure. We were in Meridian Mississippi when we got that flash. Three inches of rain in six hours. It was raining so hard that when we decided to stay in and watch a DVD, we had the surround sound on full blast and still could not hear the TV above the noise of the rain hitting the top of the trailer. (Bonus: Time for a bigger sound system!).
As a side note: We have hit a lot of 'weather' on the way down to New Orleans. We have been extremely lucky to catch breaks in the rain to set up or take down the site. 'Someone' is looking out for us so far.
"The House of the Rising Sun"
If you google 'House of the Rising Sun', it tells you that this building is PRESUMED to be the house of ill repute depicted in the song. That was good enough for Tom and I. (Did you know when you write down the acronym it is HORS (get it? Whores!).
We arrived in New Orleans on Friday, April 1st, during a huge rain storm. On Saturday, we decided to take the truck down to the HORS and then check out St. Louis cathedral. (I know, right?)
No one told me about the width of the streets in the French Quarter. Tight is an understatement. We pulled unto one street and cars were all parked on one side and a moving van was parked on the other side. The term 'KY jelly and a shoe horn' came up, and we squeezed the dually between the cars. I was cool but the passengers had to learn how to breathe again. (We never took the truck back down there again BTW).
"Doctor Gumbo, I Presume?"
Words I never thought would never pass my lips. Thanks to a retirement gift from the Joe Kapral family, we went on a Culinary Tour of the French Quarter run by the good Doctor Gumbo. We met at a great little fancy restaurant called SoBou. (South of Bourbon Street). We started the tour there with two samples of fancy gourmet food and proceeded to spend the next three hours walking the French Quarters experiencing everything from shrimp on a stick, to Leah's Pralines, to a muffalato (the BEST), a po'boy, oysters, a hot sauce bar and Cafe duMonde. We highly recommend trying something like this if you hit this city! Thanks Micki!
Some Pictures:
Til the next time!
Bump
"Rainbows and Unicorns" part 1.
As will be expected on an adventure such as this, traffic will be encountered. That was the case on DAY ONE as we tried to get through Cincinnati. The plan for our first day on the trip was to go about 500 miles south to try and get below the 'frost' line so the pipes would not freeze in the trailer. Well, I-75 was closed to all south bound traffic just before Cincinnati, so the detour added over an hour to an already long first day. We almost rear-ended a very small Japanese car as she decided to stop dead in the second lane while I was gaining a head of steam with my 10 ton rig. Lots of horn work did not make a difference and the brakes and tires worked well and a disaster was avoided. Clue-less, she drove away as if nothing ever happened. In the end, Rainbows and Unicorns prevailed.
"Gas Mileage Triple Threat"
Lots of money was spent prior to this trip on the truck to help reliability, comfort and mileage. That being said, a truck that weighs over 6900 lbs, pulling a fully loaded Jayco fifth wheel at 14, 500 lbs up a 5% grade, with a 40 mph headwind is a fuel mileage killer. We still realized 8 mpg. Well below my 10 mpg goal, but the new engine and tune up was worth every penny.
"Rainbows and Unicorns" part 2
In contrast to Cincinnati, Birmingham AL was a dream. When we saw the 'red' line on the GPS tracker and expected 'rush hour', we were delayed five minutes. Rush hour my ass.
"TEXT FLASH: Flood warning for the area you are in"
Not something you see at home, for sure. We were in Meridian Mississippi when we got that flash. Three inches of rain in six hours. It was raining so hard that when we decided to stay in and watch a DVD, we had the surround sound on full blast and still could not hear the TV above the noise of the rain hitting the top of the trailer. (Bonus: Time for a bigger sound system!).
As a side note: We have hit a lot of 'weather' on the way down to New Orleans. We have been extremely lucky to catch breaks in the rain to set up or take down the site. 'Someone' is looking out for us so far.
"The House of the Rising Sun"
If you google 'House of the Rising Sun', it tells you that this building is PRESUMED to be the house of ill repute depicted in the song. That was good enough for Tom and I. (Did you know when you write down the acronym it is HORS (get it? Whores!).
We arrived in New Orleans on Friday, April 1st, during a huge rain storm. On Saturday, we decided to take the truck down to the HORS and then check out St. Louis cathedral. (I know, right?)
No one told me about the width of the streets in the French Quarter. Tight is an understatement. We pulled unto one street and cars were all parked on one side and a moving van was parked on the other side. The term 'KY jelly and a shoe horn' came up, and we squeezed the dually between the cars. I was cool but the passengers had to learn how to breathe again. (We never took the truck back down there again BTW).
"Doctor Gumbo, I Presume?"
Words I never thought would never pass my lips. Thanks to a retirement gift from the Joe Kapral family, we went on a Culinary Tour of the French Quarter run by the good Doctor Gumbo. We met at a great little fancy restaurant called SoBou. (South of Bourbon Street). We started the tour there with two samples of fancy gourmet food and proceeded to spend the next three hours walking the French Quarters experiencing everything from shrimp on a stick, to Leah's Pralines, to a muffalato (the BEST), a po'boy, oysters, a hot sauce bar and Cafe duMonde. We highly recommend trying something like this if you hit this city! Thanks Micki!
Some Pictures:
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| "Dinosaur World" near Mammoth Cave KY |
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| Car Guy Heaven. National Corvette Museum |
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| My point of view. Please note GPS is white on land. |
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| Lake Pontchartrain Causeway. Longest over the water bridge in the world. |
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| Note GPS over water is blue. For 32 miles. Blue. |
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| Tom Rybicki at The House Of The Rising Sun. |
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| Bourbon St. A post unto itself. |
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| Sitting at the bar at SoBou waiting for Doctor Gumbo. |
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| Shrimp on a stick |
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| The best sample of the tour; Muffalato |
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| Cafe duMonde |
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| Dinner with the Neighorns at the Pontchartrain Landing Campground |
Til the next time!
Bump
31 March 2016
KWT Update (1)
Good Morning All;
Since I do not consider myself a 'writer', I will be posting these updates much like a "Random Thoughts" format.
BUTTER JESUS
Go to Google Earth. I'll wait. Make sure 'photos' are clicked on in settings. Type in 'Butter Jesus'. You should get the "King of Kings" church just north of Cincinnati. Several years ago, Jesus was a statue rising out of the water in front of this church. You may have seen in if you traveled south on I-75 on the east side. Jesus was painted a hideous shade of yellow (??), hence the nickname 'Butter Jesus'. Someone upstairs must have been pissed because 'Butter Jesus' was struck by lightening and burned to the ground (water).
There is a new Jesus statue at the King of Kings church. Looks like its made of steel.
Smart move.
National Corvette Museum, Bowling Green KY
One of the bucket list items on this trip. A MUST SEE for any gear head. Nothing but Corvettes. Some on loan from GM, (this museum is NOT affiliated with GM). The highlight, (or low light, depending on point of view) was seeing the cars damaged during the sink hole incident. Heart breaking to guy like me.
"Rainbows and Unicorns"
This is a cliche' I started using when I retired to remind myself that nothing will stress me out during retirement. So far this trip, it's been mentioned 'a couple of times'. More details in future posts.
The rain has abated for a short time, so we are going to hook up and head to Mississippi.
See Ya
Good Morning All;
Since I do not consider myself a 'writer', I will be posting these updates much like a "Random Thoughts" format.
BUTTER JESUS
Go to Google Earth. I'll wait. Make sure 'photos' are clicked on in settings. Type in 'Butter Jesus'. You should get the "King of Kings" church just north of Cincinnati. Several years ago, Jesus was a statue rising out of the water in front of this church. You may have seen in if you traveled south on I-75 on the east side. Jesus was painted a hideous shade of yellow (??), hence the nickname 'Butter Jesus'. Someone upstairs must have been pissed because 'Butter Jesus' was struck by lightening and burned to the ground (water).
There is a new Jesus statue at the King of Kings church. Looks like its made of steel.
Smart move.
National Corvette Museum, Bowling Green KY
One of the bucket list items on this trip. A MUST SEE for any gear head. Nothing but Corvettes. Some on loan from GM, (this museum is NOT affiliated with GM). The highlight, (or low light, depending on point of view) was seeing the cars damaged during the sink hole incident. Heart breaking to guy like me.
"Rainbows and Unicorns"
This is a cliche' I started using when I retired to remind myself that nothing will stress me out during retirement. So far this trip, it's been mentioned 'a couple of times'. More details in future posts.
The rain has abated for a short time, so we are going to hook up and head to Mississippi.
See Ya
14 March 2016
Monday 14 Mar 2016
Happy PI day. (3.14)
Two weeks from today, I pick up Tom so he can get an early start on Tuesday morning. I called him today to see if he changed his mind yet. Like us, he's already packed and waiting for the 29th. (He did ask what he was limited to. I jokingly said 50 lbs; He said he's ok then).
We've already got all of our summer clothes packed, and some of the colder weather stuff, too. TV is in and hooked up. Kuerig coffee maker and coffee packed (priorities, I know).
Today I will be working on the 'cargo' boxes that go in the basement. Make sure we have what we need and leave out what we don't.
The list of things to do, and the wait is getting shorter.
Talk to y'all soon.
Happy PI day. (3.14)
Two weeks from today, I pick up Tom so he can get an early start on Tuesday morning. I called him today to see if he changed his mind yet. Like us, he's already packed and waiting for the 29th. (He did ask what he was limited to. I jokingly said 50 lbs; He said he's ok then).
We've already got all of our summer clothes packed, and some of the colder weather stuff, too. TV is in and hooked up. Kuerig coffee maker and coffee packed (priorities, I know).
Today I will be working on the 'cargo' boxes that go in the basement. Make sure we have what we need and leave out what we don't.
The list of things to do, and the wait is getting shorter.
Talk to y'all soon.
25 February 2016
World Tour Update
Good Morning;
It's Thursday, 25 FEB, and we have approximately 33 days until we leave on our long awaited trip. Three days ago I was was washing and waxing the truck in preparation and now there's a couple of inches of snow on the truck. All winter long, I kept telling G'ma, "This lack of snow worries me!". Our projected date of departure is March 29. I plan on bringing the trailer home one day late next week to load it up. Let's hope this white stuff is long gone.
Since this is the first post on the KWT, (Kaczorowski World Tour), I will bring you all up to speed. We leave on the 29th and stop in Bowling Green KY for the first night. My plan is NOT to drive over 300 miles a day on this trip, but since we are not sure were the 'freeze line' will be, I want to get as far south as possible on the first day. Bowling Green is about 500 miles. Also, it is the home of the National Corvette Museum. Bonus.
The itinerary is something like this:
Talk to y'all soon.
Steve
It's Thursday, 25 FEB, and we have approximately 33 days until we leave on our long awaited trip. Three days ago I was was washing and waxing the truck in preparation and now there's a couple of inches of snow on the truck. All winter long, I kept telling G'ma, "This lack of snow worries me!". Our projected date of departure is March 29. I plan on bringing the trailer home one day late next week to load it up. Let's hope this white stuff is long gone.
Since this is the first post on the KWT, (Kaczorowski World Tour), I will bring you all up to speed. We leave on the 29th and stop in Bowling Green KY for the first night. My plan is NOT to drive over 300 miles a day on this trip, but since we are not sure were the 'freeze line' will be, I want to get as far south as possible on the first day. Bowling Green is about 500 miles. Also, it is the home of the National Corvette Museum. Bonus.
The itinerary is something like this:
- New Orleans, (One week with Tom Rybicki, one of the founding members of the Polish Posse)
- Galveston, (Four days or so)
- Austin TX
- San Antonio TX
- Carlsbad and Roswell NM
- Los Cruces, (Visit Goddaughter Kym and family)
- Tuscon AZ
- Phoenix AZ
- Sedona AZ
- Winslow AZ
- Towaoc CO (Four Corners)
- Williams AZ (Altogether, at least a month in the NM/AZ area)
- Las Vegas NV (Nine days, with a visit from Topher, Angela and Lea Kaczorowski)
- Bakersfield CA, (To visit the worlds first recognized official drag strip; Formosa)
- Salinas CA, (Visit Pebble Beach, Sonoma Raceway, Big Sur, etc.)
- San Francisco CA, (Including taking in a baseball game with the Detroit Tigers @ Oakland. Second row seats next to the Tiger dug out!)
- Klamath CA, (Redwoods National Park)
- Glide OR, (To visit cousin Janet and family)
- Portland OR
- White Salmon WA, (To visit Grandson Anthony and friends)
- Seattle WA, (Couple days of sightseeing before parking rig for ten days)
- Fairbanks AL, (Fly from SeaTac to spend fours days in Alaska, including Denali National Park, then seven day cruise back to Vancouver, then shuttle bus back to Seattle)
- Boise ID, (Pick up Rebecca, Mitchell and Reese to spend 13 days including:)
- Wendover NV
- Salt Lake City UT
- Grand Teton National Park
- Yellowstone National Park
- Billings MT, (Drop off LaBonds at airport in morning, pick up Sarah, Emerson and Riley in the afternoon)
- Sturgis
- Mt. Rushmore
- Wall Drug
- Devils Tower
- Badlands
- Sioux Falls, (Drop off Doyle's at airport)
- Fargo ND, (Just because)
- Maple Grove MN, (Visit Bailor Family)
- Mall of America
- Green Bay
- Upper Peninsula, MI
- Hartwick Pines State Park
- HOME
Talk to y'all soon.
Steve
22 October 2015
The End Is Near
Here it is. 69 days until the end of my career.
I am posting this to see if I remember how to blog.
Stay tuned for more details as the World Tour gets closer and closer.
Talk to y'all soon.
Bump
I am posting this to see if I remember how to blog.
Stay tuned for more details as the World Tour gets closer and closer.
Talk to y'all soon.
Bump
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