Click on Image to see all photos from the Panama trip
Dates: Tuesday February 13 to Wednesday February 21 Sela and I went to visit – Kirt, Arjelis, Sofia(16) and Ariana(11)
Sela and I planned and made our air reservations on Tuesday January 23, just 3 weeks in advance of our trip. I was still in Apalachicola on camping trip but I had pretty good internet connect. Both Sela and I were flying to Panama City: Sela from Portland and me from Atlanta, Both of our flights arrived around 7:30 and we had arranged to meet in the baggage claim area. The area was very crowded but we didn’t have any trouble meeting up. We got through customs and made it to our hotel around 9:30PM. We were able to get rooms across the hall from each other.
After stowing our gear in our rooms we went down to restaurant for a small bite and a well deserved glass of wine – salad and ceviche. We had a good talking and catching up but decided to wrap up a little after 10:30 because we had a 7:30AM flight to David.
We took the 6AM shuttle from the hotel, Crowne Plaza, to the airport. The hotel was only a quarter of a mile away and we were told to be in the lobby 15 minutes before the hour. Wwe were and it was a good thing because 1 minute after 6 the driver was pulling away as some folks, who didn’t listen, were walking out of the front door – the next shuttle was at 7AM. At the Panama City airport we had to take a bus to the waiting aircraft and board using ramps.
Kirt was waiting for us at the airport and drove us the 45 minutes to Boquete where his house and farm is located. Sofia was getting a private tennis lesson on the court on their property so Ariana the youngest daughter gave us a tour of the property and to meet their 2 horses. Kirt left for an already scheduled golf game and he all met at the country club for lunch around 2PM – wood fired pizzas, delicious!
Left to right: Tia Sela, Sofia’s friend, Sofia, Juan(Sofia’s novio), Ariana and Arjelis. Below a little fun on the golf course after lunch. Sofia swung at least 7 times before actually connecting with the ball – plenty of laughs.
After leaving the country club around 5:30PM we drove to Ariana’s Taekwondo class and watched her practice – she’s about ready to take her green belt exam. We got home around 8PM and that concluded our first day in Boquete. The next morning, Thursday February 15, we went to Morton’s bakery before doing some shopping, Sofia ordered for everyone – I had a fried egg and avocado sandwich on sourdough bread, delicious.
Arian, Kirt and Sofia at the Morton Bakery – Boquete, Panama.
After the bakery and shopping we had enough time when we got home for a short rest before going on a epic hike – see the post on Cerro la Piedra de Lino Trail.
Yankee RV Tours, LLC is a family-owned business with 19 staff members. Yankee offers 10 events: two-30 plus days driving tours, four 15 and 20 days driving tours , and four 6 and 8 day rallies. They travel in small groups of 10 to 20 RVs. In over 30 years of business, more than 6,000 people have traveled with their experienced teams.
It all began in Maine, thus the company name, Yankee. In the beginning they were offering Nova Scotia & Newfoundland tours as well as Fall Foliage tours in New England and Quebec. Because they were growing so fast they moved to Florida to be closer to their main market.
Rod and Helen Coe – Yankee RV Tours (click on photo for info on 2024 tours)
Yankee RV offers a “value package” that includes your camping sites, lots of good meals, escorted tours, entertainment, group fellowship, use of a 2-way RCA radios for narrated drives and experienced wagon masters and tail enders.
On each tour the average campground stay is 3-days; RV drives to the next campground are about 140 miles. Departure times are around 9AM. You may travel at your own pace or enjoy the travel narration of the wagon master vis 2-way radios.
Each January Yankee Tours offers and exceptional annual Tour Presentations, Pre-Tour Orientation and Reunion: A gathering for future and former caravanners, meeting in Florida at Southern Palms RV Resort in Eustis FL
TOPSAIL HILL PRESERVE – CLICK IMAGE FOR MAP OF THE PARK
7525 W. County Hwy 30A, Santa Rosa Beach FL 32459 – Walton County (850) 267-8330 Dates: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights – December 3 – 7. RV Camping Group: Penny, Craig, Rae and myself Distance: 364 miles and central time zone.
Situated on the Florida Gulf coast in between Pensacola and Panama City in Santa Rosa Beach is the Topsail Hill Preserve State Park – a pristine natural haven with stunning landscapes and diverse ecosystems. The park encompases over 3 miles of prisitine white sand beaches along the Gulf of Mexico. We walked to both boundaries while we were there. The name “Topsail Hill” originates from the high, wind swept dunes that resemble ship sails.
The park is home to rare coastal dune lakes, a unique natural feature where freshwater and saltwater intermingle, creating a habitat for various plant and animal species. The park has plenty of trails to explore – just be careful of the rebar used to keep the wind erosion down.
Having lunch in DestinBlacklight Putt-Putt
Summary – This State Park is a real gem with plenty to do – walking, biking, swimming and close enough to a large variety of amazing shops.
Cherry Creek State Park – I arrived at the park around 2PM on Saturday November 11 this was on day 7 of my 24 day journey. It was a 360 mile trip from my sister, Diane’s, house and Google maps didn’t exactly get me to the entrance to the park. But, with a little help from Greta, I managed to get to the campground.
Cherry Creek State Park is a 4,000 acre park located on the outskirts of Denver. The park was built in 1959 around a expansive reservoir and has many walking and biking trails.
Day 8 – Sunday November 12 – Greta came to the park, picked me us up and took us to her house – which was only a 9 mile or 20 minute drive from the park. We went on a 10 mile bike ride, on trails, through the city. After the ride we showered and Greta took me to Home Depot and the grocery store for a few supplies. Greta, Nick and I ate dinner at Joy Hill, a very nice pizza place that make all of it’s crusts from a sourdough starter.
Day 9 – Monday November 13 – I stayed at the campground today and rode my bike about 12 miles and walked the girls several miles. Nick and Greta came out around 4:30 and we cooked dinner together – chicken breast, spanish rice, frozen veggies and a salad. Nick built us a nice fire from some wood I bought at the welcome center($6 per bundle).
Day 10 – Tuesday November 14 – I’m a little nervous about the weather holding out for the time I’m here. I know the weather in Denver, especially at this time of the year, can be unpredictable and don’t want to be caught in a blizzard. Except for Monday the 10 day forecast is looking as of today.
Got 15 miles of riding and 4.5 miles of walking in today. Greta will pick us up on her way home and we’ll have dinner at he house. It was very cloudy this morning and sunny this afternoon with the high 68 and the low around 45.
Day 11 – Wednesday November 15 Greta worked today and I decided I didn’t need her car so I was on my own today. Before riding I noticed my back tire was flat so I changed at the campsite and all was good for about 15 miles then the tire went flat again about 1-1/2 mies form the campsite – the walk back wasn’t too bad. I had only one spare tube so I went on long walks the rest of the day. I fixed blacken salmon, mashed potatoes, mixed veggie and a salad for dinner.
Day 12 – Thursday November 16 – Last day of work for Greta this week. My other bike was at Greta’s house so I did a lot of walking today. On Greta’s way home from work she picked us up from the park took her to their house. We took the girls; Isla, Aspen and Cleo on a walk in Washington Park. I was a little disappointed because the creek beds were all drained for the winter. I knew Cleo was going to love wading in the creeks. After the walk Nick, Greta and I went to UNCLE for dinner – it is a Ramen noodle restaurant that was fabulous and it was walking distance from the house.
Day 13 – Friday November 17 – Greta took this day off from work and we decided to go on a hike at the Mount Fountain Park near Morrison and Red Rocks. We couldn’t much higher to hike because of the amount of snow. Even on this lower altitude hike we saw evidence of recent snow fall. After the hike we drove into Morrison and split a sandwich and did some shopping I bought a Colorado sweatshirt that was 35% off on a store closing sale. That night we had dinner at Finley’s with Tara and Boone.
Day 14 – Saturday November 18 – This was our cleansing spa day – we started the day with a little exercise then went to the Salt Caves for a little relaxation. Our relaxation started with a 30 minute infrared sauna, followed my a foot wash and then an hour guided meditation ( Yoga Nidra) in a salt cave.
After the Salt Cave Greta drove us down to True Food Kitchen for dinner.Thyeir menu is carefully crafted so that every bite and every refreshing sip serve up big flavor, an abundance of fresh ingredients and a taste of the unexpected. Their artisan chefs create crave worthy classics alongside a steady rotation of seasonal offerings that take advantage of naturally ripe fruits and vegetables so their flavor is full and their nutrients rich. I had the Wild Tuna Poke – delicious – and because it was a cleansing day we had no alcohol.
Day 15 Sunday November 19 — It was 4 days before Thanksgiving but the weather was starting to change for the worse. They where calling for snow and ice on Thanksgiving day in Colorado Springs where we were going to have Thanksgiving ( Nicks mom and sisters house).Greta had to work Monday and Tuesday so I made the decision to head back home on Monday – five days early than planned. Greta came over on Sunday and we rode and got lost on the vast amount of trails in the park. After making our way back to the campsite we made a fire had a beer and said our goodbyes.
Day 16 Monday November 20th – drove to Russell Kansas and stayed at the Flying J RV Park. This park was about 365 miles from the Cherry Creek State Park and we drove through rain, ice, snow a the temperature was dropping to the 20’s so we were glad to have a place to park, hookup and rest. The place wasn’t great but it did the job.
Day 17 Tuesday November 21 – we drove to a Harvest Host Alpaca farm in Missouri. It was a little out of the way but it was a nice farm run by a very nice couple.
Day 18 Wednesday November 22 – I had planned to stop at another winery in Clarksville Tennessee about 360 miles from the Alpaca farm but we used a most of our propane on the generator in Missouri and I didn’t have enough to keep the generator running another night of below 20 degree temperatures. So I decided to drive straight through and get back home 865 miles and we got home at midnight. The traffic and drivers around Nashville, Chattanooga and Atlanta were insane and we were all very glad when we pulled into our driveway.
With the help of two friends, Jen Borg and Cathy Dykes, I hosted a holiday party for 32 friends who live in the neighborhood. When I was in Denver visiting Greta she helped me design an evite invitation that I sent out on December 1 with an RSVP date of December 15. Date: Thursday December 21 Time: 6PM to 9PM Guests: Lee and Jane, Rick and Alice, Mary, Judy, Gene and Sherrie, Steve and Debbie, Jen and Andy, Pierre and Patty. Kathy and Brown, Derek, Clare, Ed and Mary, Cris, Cathy, Charles, Rae and Sammy, Lauren and Brian, Chuck and Janet, Liz, Bruce and Rae. Food: Honey Baked Ham, Hawaiian rolls, Cheese platter, Mini quiches, Christmas Tree Spinach Dip breadsticks, Smoked Salmon Bruschetta, Mushroom Bourguignon, Baked Brie with fig jam center, Carrot, celery and broccoli platter with humus. Cheese, crackers and grapes, Boursin cheese as well as bowls of nuts and bolts and cashews. Drink: Beer, Wine and warm spiced apple cider.
Greenery by Cathyone of many pieces by CathyChristmas Tree Spinach Dip Breadsticks – CLICK IMAGE FOR RECIPECo-hosts: Jen, Bruce, Rae and CathyJen, Chuck, Cris, Debbie, Sherry, Mary, Liz and CathyMary, Patty & MarySammy, Rae, Jane & JenAndy and CathyMary and JenSteve and RickCharlesEd, Chuck, Debbie & CathyDerek, Janet & EdKathy & CathyJane, Debbie, Jen, Judy and Patty
Desserts: Christmas Cookies – Rum balls, Chocolate Crinkles, Santa’s Whiskers, Peanut Butter Blossoms and Ginger Cookies. The cookies were set up on the table out on the screened in porch. One tray of cookies was set too close to edge of the table so Cleo decided to help herself to a few of the chocolate crinkles. I was worried about the chocolate but she seemed okay,
I thought the party was a big success and everyone seemed to have a good time. The food items mentioned most by the guests where the mushrooms and spinach dip bread sticks.
