The Cooke's Retirement Page for 2008

>>>>>>>>>>>> The Cooke's Retirement Page for 2008 & 2009 <<<<<<<<<<<<

July 15, 2009

Rita retired from the Carson City Sheriffs Office December 31, 2004
Art retired from Honeywell January 31. 2005

June 2008: Start Cross Country trip in the Eagle

Still full timing in our American Eagle Motor Coach
Rita and I arrived in on Saturday May 31st and spent one week in Cancun Mexico with Pat, Joe and Fran. Fran and Joe have a villa in the heart of Hotel Row, The villa is located at The Royal Sands Resort & Spa. As we arrived Tropical Storm Arthur was dropping some rain on Cancun but by Monday TS Arthur had shifted to the south and the weather cleared.


Tropical Storm Arthur hits Cancun	The Sun came out!!

The Caribbean jewel of Mexico's Yucatan peninsula, Cancun. Cancun is the ultimate vacation and resort destination whether your idea of a good time is surfing, kayaking, fishing and swimming or just laying in the tropical sun. On the lagoon side, there is an abundance of water sports equipment for rental for one day or an entire vacation. On the Caribbean side, enjoy great swimming, surfing and sunbathing.

Jungle Crossing was an exciting adventure. The tour starts with sea kayak trip out to the reef system where we snorkel and observe the spectacular corals, sponges and tropical fish of the Mexican Caribbean. Next a ride in a 4x4 all terrain vehicle a Mercedez Benz Unimog, that took us to Rancho San Felipe, a small Maya family community where the Nohoch Nah Chich Cenote system is located (one of the longest explored underground river systems in the world). Here we took part in an unforgettable snorkeling adventure into the fresh waters of this underground river, swimming deep inside the caverns where we observe stunning stalactite and stalagmite formations above and below this crystal clear water. We then arrived at "Heavens Gate", another entrance to this beautiful underground river system, for a relaxing swim in its refreshingly cool waters. A traditional Maya lunch prepared by the women of this community at a Mexican ranch. After lunch we had the opportunity to visit the ranch and its inhabitants, a small Maya family that have lived in this remote jungle location for the last 30 years. We departed Cancun on Saturday June 7th flew back to Reno.
We arrived in Cleveland on June 26th in the Eagle. To save on fuel we drove at 60 MPH and that gave us 11.0 MPG.

October 2008:

Arrived Prattville Alabama
The South's premier history village. Old Alabama Town is a collection of authentically restored 19th and 20th century structures. A magnificent setting, it stretches along six blocks in the heart of historic downtown Montgomery, Alabama. Step back in time and experience over 100 years of history as you embark on a journey where you will see meticulously restored and furnished buildings reflecting the lives of the people who settled and developed Central Alabama. Each building creates its own distinctive image of living and working in Alabama's past. You will see a cross section of the way life was from the elegant townhouse lifestyle to rural pioneer living. Landmarks Foundation of Montgomery, a non-profit corporation develops and administers Old Alabama Town. Landmarks came into being in 1967 for the purpose of fostering, encouraging and leading the preservation movement in the area. With the purchase of the 1850s Ordeman Townhouse and its dependencies in 1968, Landmarks has acquired and restored over forty buildings and is committed to preserving the past for the good of the future. Today Old Alabama Town continues to grow and is a place where people of all ages have fun learning about history, architecture and lifestyles.

Carole Jean Boyd.

Atrox Factory Halloween Tour with over 40 thousand square foot "World Class" all indoor haunted attraction. Continuous running feature horror films, concessions, pizza, etc.: Warning!! "Not intended for children under the age of 12" Adult Gore......
The Kymulga Grist Mill, Covered Bridge and Park are of significant historical, educational and recreational value. Located on Grist Mill Road four miles northeast of Childersburg, Alabama, the mill and bridge are over one hundred forty years old. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, they are the only pair of such structures in Alabama that still stand where they were originally built on Talladega Creek. The adjacent park is home to a variety of animals and plants. Several large trees there have been judged by foresters to be older than the mill or bridge.
Desoto Caverns resting at the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, DeSoto Caverns Park offers a unique destination for those seeking a fun and educational experience.

Rita,

Art,

Jenn,

Dan,

Layla,

Dianna and

Jim

November 2008

Arrived Yuma, AZ for the winter

February 2009

Sitting in Yuma, AZ for the winter
We will be attending the Melissa Macias and Dru Edelblute wedding in Simi Valley, Ca during March
Marisa is planning to spend the month of April with us here in Yuma and then will ride with us back to Nevada
We are planning to be in Nevada the 1st od May

March 2009

Barry, Leann, Rita, Ron and I went to the 2009 Yuma Air Show at the Marine Air Base here in Yuma. This year's Yuma Air Show ended with an attempt by Marine Corps Air Station Yuma to break the world record for the longest wall of fire. The air station created a wall of fire that stretches 10,000 feet - nearly two miles long - and would be 150 feet tall. This wall of fire was the finale to the Tora, Tora, Tora, reenactment of the attack on Pearl Harbor. We heard an explosion and felt the concussion from the heat. To see the video I took follow is link to YouTube.com. Wall of Fire Video

April 2009

Marisa will be spending April with us here in Yuma. Rita is flying up to Reno on Sunday March 29th and will return with Marisa on Monday March 30th.
We are left Yuma at the end of April and will be staying at the Silver Sage RV Park in Reno by the Peppermill Casino.

May 2009

We are settled in at the Silver Sage RV Park in Reno by the Peppermill Casino. We plan to stay here until the end of June when we will be starting or 2009/2010 trip around the United States.
Jeff and Magali were married in Reno on June 6, 2009 at the Agape Chapel.

July 2009

We have arrived in Cleveland staying at Pats house in Seville, Oh. We plan to stay here for the next couple of months. Rita will be working on the farm and I will be running the tractor and other farm machinery.
Just got my new toy for running around the RV Parks.

Rita, Pat and I went to Cedar Point Amusement Park this month with Pat's granddaughters and several of their friends. We took the motor home as our base camp. We rode the following rides during the day. You can select the ride to see the stats:

Raptor

Magnum XL-200

Cork Screw

Iron Dragon

Wicked Twister

Disaster Transport

Millennium Force - This coaster was the most amazing ride I have ever taken. The first drop cannot be explained and the negative G's are hard to believe. Consistently voted the "Best Steel Coaster in the World," Millennium Force broke TEN world records when it opened in 2000. You climb the 310 foot tall lift hill smoothly and quickly and dive towards the earth at an 83 degree angle at speeds of 93 mph! It's all speed and airtime as Millennium Force hugs the ground, climbs onto an island and twists and turns as it flies towards the station. As we finished the ride and returned to the station cheers erupted from the riders. This ride was UNBELIEVABLE!!