Laurel's comments on trip

While Bob did most of the actual reporting on the blog, I did have input. I regularly proofed it before he posted it, and reminded him of things he left out. (I also chided him for being a little to wordy, but think everyone else enjoyed it).



This was a trip of a lifetime. We conceived the idea about a year and a half prior to actually starting. I think I originally did the "wouldn't it be fun to do a four corners trip?", but once the idea was out, Bob ran with it. It is unbelievable how organized he was. He actually had each days mileage on a spread sheet, along with where we were likely to stop for the night, etc. We varied very little from the original plan, for the first three quarters of the trip.



The trip itself really was a great adventure. We saw much more than I had envisioned, and visited a lot of friends and family. The only negative there was not having enough time to see many of the things we wanted to see. We could have spent a week in Philadelphia, and three or four days in Charleston and at least another day in the Orlando area with my cousin Melodye. There were also many things we did not see, simply because they were not in the plan, and we did not have time.



I think my favorite part of the trip was seeing old friends and family. I would have loved to spend more time with everyone. You cannot really catch up with only a day, (or half a day in some cases). I know we will see everyone again at some time or other, (we already have some plans for the next year or so), but really regret the lack of time there.



On the other hand, being away from home for over two months was a trial for me. I think six weeks max, for any other trip where we drive. I really got tired of being a tourist by about the time we got to New Orleans, and after that we pretty much hurried the trip. We did only cut about three days off the original plan, but I don't see how we could have done all we did in any shorter period of time.



Maybe we were just a little too ambitious about what we could comfortably do in two months. Bob did all the driving, and I know he was worn out by about Tucson. However, we are very glad we had the opportunity to do this trip, and would recommend it to anyone, if possibly on a different schedule. I am glad that you all were able to go along with us on the blog.

Bob's comments on the trip

First, I wish to share some basic information in response to questions from blog readers.






Cost - Direct cost could fall into a few categories. First, since we drove a gas guzzling truck pulling four tons of trailer, would be fuel cost. While I don't have exact figures, we consumed between 1350 and 1400 gallons of gas. The most expensive, prior to California, was the gas we left with @$2.80. Most was $2.40 to $2.70, so I will estimate an average of $2.60. The highest price was $3.26 just north of Sacramento; the cheapest $2.29 in Frankfort, KY. Total fuel cost is estimated at $3500.






Second category would be accommodations. Of the 65 nights, 30 were spent at no cost. Wal-Mart was host for 10 nights, and the rest were at friends or family. Our average RV park cost was $30 per night, so we spent a bit over $1000. We could have spent less if we worked at it.






Number 3 would be entertainment. For us, that was admission to museums, amusement parks, and tour buses. We spent a little under $1200 for these.







We did not count food as we had to eat whether at home or on the road. We did eat out a little more than usual, but we were treated by others a number of times. The bottom line is we spent less than $6K, but that does not count the wear and tear (remember the tires?) on the trailer and truck. We budgeted $7K, so we did OK.







Several referred to our adventure as a "Trip of a lifetime". I agree with the description, and add a "once in a lifetime trip". It was great, but I wouldn't want to do a similar trip again. Being back by Thanksgiving was a time constraint that made it more or a mission than a vacation. Anyone planning a similar trip should leave the completion date open or not have so many specific objectives as we did. Also, since this was our first extended vacation since retiring, being on the road so long became a bit stressful and we, Laurel especially, were more looking forward to getting home than getting to our next destination. Are we glad we did it? You bet! We will always have fond memories of this trip.







We have been asked what our favorite part of the trip was. I think mine was the actual traveling from place to place, seeing the country side. There are always little surprises lurking around the corner like wild animals, vintage cars, homes with extraordinary landscaping, old barns, meandering creeks, or 50 mile vistas. Of course, visiting with friends and family members around the country was a great pleasure as were the visits to the museums and parks and the other activities.





One thing we hoped to do during the trip was to identify places that we would like to spend significant time. Philadelphia and Charleston are two cities we visited and would like to return to for a week or so for more thorough explorations. There were a number of cities we passed through or near by that we would like to visit in the future including Duluth, Charlotte, Myrtle Beach, Tampa, and others that may come to mind later.

Day 65, Tuesday, November 17, 2009 – 390 miles

WE MADE IT!!!!

However, it was not exactly smooth sailing. To start, the weather forecast for Stevens Pass which is the high point in the Cascade Mountains on US2, our preferred route, was borderline conditions. It had been snowing, and the DOT cameras showed it was not melting. Snoqualmie Pass on I90, however, was bare and wet. We chose to use the latter.

The drive over was OK. Traffic was not very heavy once we left the Seattle area. There was intermittent sun before we started climbing. After that, we went through rain into snow showers. The snow melted on contact, so no problems.

Our goal was to get home by 5:00 in time to watch the Gonzaga/Michigan State basketball game. Bobby was coming over to watch it with us. We were within 5 miles of home (passing under the Pines Road overpass, for those familiar with Spokane) when, you aren't going to believe this, we had another blowout, this one on the driver side rear of the truck. It was dark, rainy, in rush hour, and I was in the center lane. I hit the emergency blinkers and, fortunately, those around me took notice and gave me room to get to the side. I was parked in the "no-man's-land" between the highway and the east bound on ramp from Pines.

We pay for AAA, so I called for someone to come change the tire. They told me it would be within the hour, and that I would have to disconnect the trailer. Rather than wait, I proceeded to start the job myself. First would be to get the spare from under the pickup bed. That took me about 15 minutes since I had to learn how as I went. I figured, what the hell, and started replacing the tire. I jacked up the axle with the trailer attached with no problem. I was down to two lug nuts when the DOT emergency roadside assistance truck arrived. He has an electric impact tool that made the balance of the job easy and fast. We made it home about 5:30 to the rest of the ball game and lasagna that Tracy prepared.

We had a nice visit with Marian Hendrix and her dachshund, Millie. Due to the weather, we left earlier than planned, but we now are planning a visit for the annual Seattle Flower Show in February. That will be a car trip, no trailer, and hopefully, Pat and Vic Gilica will go with us.

Our total mileage for the trip was 12,899 miles. The original estimate was 13, 364, so we were within 3.5%. Most of the miles saved were the result of taking freeways to save time. No regrets. As mentioned yesterday, we will have followup posts later this week.

Day 64, Monday, November 16, 2009 – 141 miles

The day began by visiting with Ron before he had to leave for work. He normally leaves about 7 on Mondays, but didn't get gone until after 8.
After he left, I began the unpleasant task of cleaning out the waste tanks on the trailer. It is convenient to have a hose and drain available (I won't go into details on what was involved). It was windy and rainy, making it even less enjoyable.
We got underway about 9:15. We ate some breakfast, bought gas, then found I5 for the trip through Tacoma and Seattle on the way to W20West north of Everette. We arrived at her home in Oak Harbor about 1:30. The weather was intermittent rain and wind, some heavy. We will check the weather forecasts in the morning. If Stevens Pass is snowy, we will take I90 and go over Snoqualmie Pass which is 1000' lower. It will be an extra 40 miles.
We spent the afternoon relaxing and visiting. Marian made a great beef stew and salad for dinner, and pumpkin pie will be desert a little later.
The truck and trailer are parked out in the culdesac. I was going to finish winterizing, but will wait until we get home. We leave for home in the morning.
We will be posting on the trip home tomorrow or Wednesday. Both Laurel and I plan to post our thoughts on the trip in the next few days, so stand by.

Day 63, Sunday, November 15, 2009 – 377 miles

Today was a day mostly for travel as we continued our tour to the last (and first) state, Washington. We will first be visiting Laurel's brother Ron at his new home in Spanaway, and then driving up to Oak Harbor for our last stop with Marian Hendrix tomorrow.

We started the day with a fantastic breakfast at a restaurant the Beyers frequent a short drive from their home. The place was very friendly, as well as good, so most of the customers appeared to be regulars.

The first part of the trip was up US101 from North Bend to Reedsport where we head east on O38 to connect to I5. This is a road we have driven a number of times. Early on, it passes by a wildlife refuge where there is a large heard of elk that is often visible from the road. Today, we saw two groups of about 20, but they were off in the distance next to the trees. The road mostly follows the Umpqua River into the coastal range of mountains, and then deviates into the hills through the town of Drain and onto I5. Traffic was relatively light until we approached the Portland area, but not too bad. We took I205 to avoid the downtown bridges.

Traffic again got heavier as we approached Olympia, but kept moving. We made it to Ron's new home about 4:00. It is a nice, 3 bedroom rancher on a corner lot with a porch and chain link fence. Turns out the previous owners, a retired couple, set it up for an RV beside the garage. There is water, sewer connection, and a 30A electrical outlet. Needless to say, we set up the trailer there. Anyway, it is a very nice house and should serve them well. It is only 4 years old.

We were going to take Ron, Audra and Audra's son Bill to dinner. We decided on Chinese, but, being new in the neighborhood, they didn't know where one was. We used Gretchen to find one. We left Gretchen and took the address and tried to find it. No luck. We then drove up and down Pacific Blvd and could not find a Chinese restaurant. Finally, we were within a mile of their previous home, so we went to a restaurant they knew by that location. It was good.

When we got back to the house, I went with Ron in his company van to meet Audra's son Jason and pick up an entertainment center that is to be a housewarming gift from Jason and his wife Missy. The furniture is up in Auburn, about a half hour's drive away. We met in front of a coffee shop when Jason informed us the guy selling the furniture would be another half hour, so we drove to a bar for a beer. The Patriots-Colts game was on TV, so we watched it for awhile while enjoying a local brew. We left with the Colts 13 points behind, and figured they would no longer be undefeated (for the sake of Bob, Noella, and other Patriots fans, I won't mention how the game finished.) Anyway, we picked up the furniture and put it in Ron's garage for the night.

We visited some more until calling it a day about 10. In the morning, I will start winterizing the trailer by flushing out the two waste water tanks. We plan to sleep in Marian's house when we get there tomorrow, so we won't need the trailer facilities.

Day 62, Saturday, November 14, 2009 – 227 miles

Before I start my dissertation on this day's travel, I want to make a comment about my punctuality. It turns out we sometimes don't have the time at the end of the day or in the morning before we start our activities or drive to write one. A few times, we had no Internet connection, as was the case in Eureka on Friday night (it was intermittent). Although I would prefer to write these on the same day as the events occur because my memory, such as it is, would be fresher. It sometimes doesn't happen, and I get behind, as I am today. My apologies to our followers.

Today we tooled up the Pacific coast for over 220 miles. The day started with mostly clouds and fog, but quickly changed to sun breaks. The surf was fairly high and with the bright sun shining on it made for some beautiful views.

We got to see some more Redwood trees as we passed through the Redwoods National Park.

We kept looking for a fast food restaurant to get a cup of tea, but none were to be found in these small towns. We stopped at a cafe in Port Orford, OR. I decided to get a little snack to eat, so I ordered a biscuit sandwich. That was the biggest biscuit I have ever seen and it had two sausage patties, two eggs, and two types of cheese. It was not a snack but a meal, and very good.

We made it up to our friends, Craig and Janice Beyer, by mid afternoon. We parked our trailer beside their house. We had a nice visit and a delicious dinner of grilled tuna and halibut that Craig caught. Craig will be retiring from his BLM job next January. He has a sideline excavator business that he will run full time. Janice will continue with her CNA job at the hospital. They are both in their mid 50's, so too early for SS.

Tomorrow, we will be heading north to Spanaway, WA to visit Laurel's brother Ron and family.

Day 61, Friday, November 13, 2009 – 309 Miles

The best road between I5 and US101 in northern California is C299 which runs between Redding and Arcata. Since we did not need to go to Cottonwood, we decided to take C36 which goes from Red Bluff to just south of Fortuna. This is a 133 mile stretch of road better traversed on a motorcycle then a truck pulling a 27 foot trailer, it turned out. It is extremely narrow in places with lots of mountain climbing to over 4000' several times. Some parts of the road appears to have been just asphalt placed on bare ground with no grading. Little hills were so sharp and steep is was like riding on a roller coaster. As you crest the hill, you could not see the road, and the truck did not speed up until the trailer crests the hill, much like how a coaster train does not speed up until the rear of the train crests the grade. The last down grade off the mountains were a 10% grade in places. The brakes were smoking by the time we got to the bottom, and there was a sharp right turn right at the bottom. I had both feet on the brake pedal and fingers crossed on both hands.

We received an unexpected treat after we arrived in the coastal lowlands - Redwoods. We drove through a portion of Grizzly Creek State Park. We didn't see any trees as big as some we have seen in other parks, but impressive nonetheless.

We had lunch at a cafe in Wildwood, a very small town located at about 4000'. We were the only customer at noon, so I don't know if the cafe will be in business for long. They made a pretty good chili dog for us.

We arrived in Eureka in mid afternoon. We found a trailer park courtesy of Gretchen, set up the trailer, then set off to meet our friend from my Navy days, Joe Avery. We made arrangements to meet him at a coffee shop. While we were visiting and enjoying our tea and coffee, a couple who are friends of Joe came in. Joe got a pleasure in introducing us to them: Bob, this is Bob; Laurel, this is Laura.

After we closed the coffee shop, we walked a block to an Italian restaurant where Joe treated us to an excellent meal. Thanks, again, Joe.

Joe took a couple pictures which he is going to email to me. I will add it to this posting after I get it.

Day 60, Thursday, November 12, 2009 – 504 Miles

Today was our day to escape from the megalopolis of Southern California towards the friendly, albeit chilly, environs of the northwest. I was actually a bit surprised by the few times we came to a stop or crawl along I5. It was the best traffic I have experienced in this area in the last several years.
California as a 55 speed limit for trucks and cars pulling trailers, so we were not able to make as good a time as we did in other states. The benefit was the ability to enjoy the countryside more as we drove over the mountains north of LA into the central valley. We past miles and miles of nut and fruit orchards, row crops of all types, cotton, grapes, grains, and finally into the rice growing area near Sacramento. Coupled with the agriculture we saw in the Imperial Valley on the way to San Diego, it is clear California is a most important food growing part of our country.
The weather was sunny in the morning, changing to clouds and intermittent showers in the afternoon. The further north we went, the cooler it got. Sacramento was only 60, and the forecast was for overnight lows near 40.
We found a Wal-Mart, and I checked in to see if it was OK to camp, and it was. We were getting settled in when a security officer knocked on the door. He said this parking lot was not Wal-Mart's property, and that we could not stay. He was kind enough to direct us to another about 4 miles away where we were welcome. Imagine, being expelled from Wal-Mart.
I called my friend Don Dillard's home to confirm our visit. He actually was up in Idaho hunting with his son. Since we were not going to Cottonwood, we will have more time to get to Eureka tomorrow.

Day 59, Wednesday, November 11, 2009 – 78 miles

The San Diego Zoo is better than I remember. We spent about 6 hours there and were pretty well worn out with all the walking.

After the zoo, it became interesting. We decided to go to a grocery store since we were out of milk and fruit. While driving into the parking lot, I could hear a clicking sound coming from the driver side rear tire. I hoped it was just a stone, but it wasn't. A large screw was stuck in the middle of the tread. I located a tire store called Express Tires about 3 miles south and drove there. I decided to have the tires rotated while getting the tire fixed. It was going to take a couple hours since there were other customers ahead of me, so we decided to eat. The tire shop manager suggested Brigantine, a seafood restaurant, across the street. It turned out to be one of the best meals we have had all trip. One of our favorite grocery stores is Trader Joe's, and it turns out there was one just down the block from the tire shop. We walked there and picked up some wine and other things. Bonus number two for the evening. The tire shop did not get finished until almost 8, and hour after closing. They did not charge us for the work of repairing the tire and rotating. Bonus number three.

Getting back to the fruit, after leaving Tucson, we remembered California does not allow fresh produce to be brought into the state. After we ate what we could for lunch, we tossed the rest. When we went through the inspection station, they didn't even ask, so we did not need to toss the food. We won't be so pessimistic next time.

Tomorrow we start the northward and final leg of our trip. To be truthful, we are looking forward to getting home. We expect to be in northern California on Friday, Oregon on Saturday, and Western Washington on Monday. We possibly will be home by the 18th.

Day 58, Tuesday, November 10, 2009 – 453 miles

We got underway about 8:00 this morning for the trek to the San Diego area. I10 to I8 is the route we chose, not that there are many options without adding significant miles. The drive was without problems. It actually goes from below sea level in the Imperial Valley to about 4200'. From the pass, the road descends at a 6% grade rate for 13 miles to the city. The valley was interesting with all the farming and huge fields of vegetables planted in rows straight as an arrow. Yuma is interesting with all the RV Parks scattered everywhere. Gas is about 30 cents a gallon higher in California, so we topped off there. I filled up after arriving at $2.95.

The RV park we selected is in Escondido. I wanted to park north of San Diego so when we leave Thursday morning, we won't have as much traffic to deal with. We will have about a one hour drive going to and returning from Balboa Park due to traffic.

Day 57, Monday, November 09, 2009 – 53 miles

After a restful night in the RV park, we headed west 20 miles on Speedway Blvd past the University of Arizona to the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum. The end of the drive was spectacular as the road became very narrow and windy as it crosses a pass to the desert valley.

The museum has lots to see. Check it out at http://www.desertmuseum.com/. I especially enjoyed all the animals and the cave.

After lunch, we headed back to Brad and Trish's to visit. We enjoyed a pasta dish made from a recipe from Rachael Ray on the Food Channel as we watched some Monday Night Football. We are already looking forward to our next visit to Tucson, whenever that will be.

Tomorrow, we head west to San Diego for a visit to the zoo.

Day 56, Sunday, November 08, 2009 – 286 miles

We got another early start on our way to Tucson. It was cool, about 42, when we started, but the bright sunshine had us pushing the air conditioning button in a bit over an hour. The drive was uneventful except for one event. The border patrol set up a road block to hunt for illegal aliens and drugs. While we were in line, we noticed two people in a small blue Mercedes in front of us moving stuff around in their car and swerving to look at the inspectors. At one time, I thought they were going to jump out of line and get back on the freeway. When they were next in line after a semi, the passenger door opened a little bit and something wrapped in white tissue hit the ground. One agent had a drug sniffing dog, and apparently the dog smelled the drugs in the car and alerted the agent. We called the agent over and told them of the drop we saw. He said he knew, but asked how far back so he could retrieve it. We were waved through and made quick time to Tucson.
We considered parking in Brad and Trish's driveway, but after 3 nights dry camping, we needed to empty tanks and opted to stay in an RV park about 10 minutes away.
We arrive at the Hawarny's about 2:00 and spent an enjoyable afternoon just watching a little football and relaxing in the patio. Tomorrow morning, we plan to go to the Arizona Sedona Desert Museum just west of town. We plan to get back to Brad and Trish's by early afternoon to visit, do some laundry, and catch up on the blog.

Day 55, Saturday, November 07, 2009 – 515 miles

On the drive up from Austin yesterday, we had several discussions regarding our activities today. We have been planning on getting to Tucson late Monday night, but that would mean we would not get to see much of Brad who has to work. Our discussions revolved around the amount of time to spend in New Mexico.

We decided to get an early start and go to Santa Fe. Up at 5:00, we were on the road by 6:15. We made good time, despite having to climb to over 7000'. We found a parking lot for RVs downtown (not cheap), and began exploring the town. Founded by Spanish Catholic missionaries whose purpose in life was to convert the heathens, it is flush with churches, including the oldest church in the US. Across from the town square is a large basilica with ornate paintings on the ceiling and walls. And another church two blocks away has a spiral staircase to the choir loft that has no visible means of support, quite a feat for a carpenter over 150 years ago.

After a delicious lunch of southwest cuisine, we decided to get to Tucson by tomorrow, hopefully early enough to spend time with Brad. So we cancelled the plan to spend the night in Santa Fe and the following night in Albuquerque in favor of getting to Tucson ASAP. We figured using the freeways would be the fastest, so we took I25 south to Las Cruces where we once again availed ourselves of Wal-Mart's hospitality. It was a couple hours after dark by the time we got there and we were west of town, so we did not get to see any of the town.

Tomorrow morning, we will take I10 west to Tucson, about a 5 hour drive.

Day 54, Friday, November 6, 2007 – 485 miles

We had a relatively quiet night at a Wal-Mart in Austin. We got a fairly early start on our way to Clovis, NM. The weather was beautiful, the traffic light, and the roads in mostly good shape. Two of the most interesting sights along the way were the endless cotton fields and nearly endless wind farms. In some cases, the wind farms were in the cotton fields. The terrain was mostly flat with occasional hills and valleys. The elevation increased gradually up to about 4000'. For lack of a better option, we again relied on the hospitality of the local Wal-Mart for our overnight stay.

Our arrival in New Mexico represented our visit to the last one of the 50 states we had yet to step foot on. Tomorrow, we are off to Sante Fe, and before our trip is over, we will have traversed quite a bit of the state.

Day 53, Thursday, November 5, 2009 – 539 miles

We experienced the longest day driving since leaving Spokane, 539 miles in about 12 hours. After leaving the campground in New Orleans, we followed the east bank of the Mississippi River for about 15 miles before heading north to connect to I10. We ran into very bad traffic while driving through Baton Rouge and again through Houston, although not as bad. We stopped at the Texas Welcome Center and asked for the best way to get to Lubbock. Her suggestion was different from what I planned, but a good route nonetheless.
We have stopped at a Wal-Mart in Austin, TX. I will get the oil changed (again) before we hit the road for Clovis, NM, our destination for tomorrow night.

Day 52, Wednesday, November 04, 2009

Our plan for the day was to take the free shuttle to the French Quarter, do some looking around, and take a bus tour. And guess what - that is exactly what we did. We had a great day. In addition to the quarter, we saw other parts of town including the Ninth Ward that received so much flooding after the hurricane, the downtown area, above ground cemetery, the garden district with its fine homes, the Superdome, and shopping districts.

Tomorrow we begin the trek to Sante Fe, NM. We don't plan to do any sight seeing in Texas on this trip, I hope to get there in about 2 days. To minimize risk of another tire failure, I put the new tire I bought yesterday in place of the last original tire, saving the old tire for the spare. Like the last tire I replaced, it shows wear, but not as bad as the other tire.

Day 51, Tuesday, November 3, 2009 – 372 miles

We said good bye to Mexico Beach about 8:00 am. We would travel in four states before the day was done, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. We were hoping to get to New Orleans in time to do something, but it didn't quite work out that way. Each time we stopped for a break, I checked the trailer tires for heat. In Mississippi, the left rear tire was very hot in one spot. I went ahead and put on the spare, the new tire I bought in Perry a couple days ago. The tire had severe wear on the inside edge and it was clear it would not have lasted much longer, so I was glad I changed it in a parking lot instead of on a highway.

We made it to New Orleans without further problems. However, the traffic was as bad as any we have experienced on this trip. We arrived at the New Orleans West KOA Kampground about 6. After unhooking the trailer, not completely setting up, we went about 5 miles east to a Wal-Mart where we bought another tire. Without going into much detail, it was a hassle because they claimed they had no stock. While they were supposedly checking other stores, I found the tire on a shelf. After some ado, It got mounted.

All we had time left to do now was some dinner. I asked for a recommendation for Cajun food, and a place called Copelands was suggested. We went there and had a decent meal. Turns out they specialize in cheesecake, and we had a piece of creole cheesecake which is creamier than regular cheesecake. It was great, so the day ended on a positive note.

Day 50, Monday, November 2, 2009 – 45 miles

Today was a school day for the three older kids (Addison - 9, Kaden - 7, Bryson - 5) and Larry had to work, so the first part of the day was quiet. Laurel did a load of laundry while I pumped up the truck tires (enough about tires) and bought fuel and a propane cylinder for our grill. Then we played games with four year old Teryn. I played a game of checkers with her and had to work at it to win, not that I am skilled at the game. She showed an amazing use of strategy for her age.

After the kids got home from school, we loaded the bikes in their truck and drove to a new development about 1o miles east that is full of paved and boardwalk trails. The development is going poorly, so there are very few homes and rental tenants. The trails were ours to use.

After the bike ride, we drove down to a light house out on a point. It is on Eglin AFB property. We walked on the beach which, according to a person we met there, has eroded about 8 feet in the last year. Trees that are down on the beach were standing on the shore.

We got home just after sunset and Kelli made chicken corn chowder, a very tasty soup.

We watched some baseball and Monday night football before heading to camp. The Gardners next visitor from home will be Kelli's parents, Jim and Betty Patterson, at Thanksgiving.

Day 49, Sunday, November 1, 2009 – 168 miles

We left Perry after dealing with the tire situation. First, we drove to the local Wal-Mart to buy another replacement tire (they sell Goodyear Marathon which is supposed to be an excellent trailer tire). After buying the tire, I asked them to check the pressure on the other tires. They were checking 35-40 pounds, not the 45-50 pounds my tire gauge said. I bought a new gage and went looking for a tire pump. We stopped at a couple places before finding one (75 cents for 3 minutes).

We hit the road, that being US98 west, along the gulf coast to Mexico Beach. Lots of bridges, swamps, trees, and occasional beach condos.

We arrived at the Gardner's about 1. Larry was at Teledaga Motor Speedway. His group provided the flyover at the NASCAR race, and they had 20 pit passes. He and a some of team mates not doing the actual flyover flew a private plane and camped out at the airport. They were flying back late afternoon. Meanwhile, Laurel and I visited with Kelli and the kids and walked down to the beach (they live 2 blocks from the beach). Just before leaving, Larry and friends flew over the beach before landing. Then, a guy who was fishing just down the beach hooked a fish. We watched him haul it in. It looks like about 20 pounds and I'm not sure about the species. The kids really enjoyed that.

Larry got home just in time for dinner. The kids leave for school for school fairly early, so bed time comes early for them. We watched a little TV and turned in ourselves. We camped at Rustic Sands Campground which is located about 1/2 mile away.

Day 48, Saturday, October 31, 2009 - 440 miles

Happy Halloween!
We were the recipients of a trick as we experienced a second tire blowout, this one on the left side of the trailer. Fortunately, it did not damage the fender as the first blowout did. It occurred about an hour before we stopped for the night here in Perry, FL, so first thing tomorrow will be a trip to a tire store for a new spare.
We left Allen's house this morning about 8:30. We headed straight west and then south to pick up the road up to Lake Okeechobee. It was 4 lanes and straight as an arrow for 40 miles as it traversed the Everglades. Not much to see except sawgrass. As we went north and west of the lake, the land became less marshy and soon cattle were seen. Later, we drove into sugar cane country.
We crossed the elegant bridge over Tampa Bay into St. Petersberg and then we really slowed down. For over 40 miles up US19, we were driving through suburban and tourist areas. With all the stop lights, we probably averaged 25 MPH. It gradually opened up, and we were doing well until the tire blew.
We should make it to Kelli and Larry's in Mexico Beach by early afternoon.

Day 47, Friday, October 30, 2009

Today was a relaxing day with no set plans. After a leisurely breakfast, we decided to go to the pottery shop that Allen bought the items I mentioned yesterday, and to see some of Fort Lauderdale.

First stop was Old Time Pottery. The items we were looking for were no longer in stock, and we didn't find anything else we couldn't live without (except a book), so we left empty handed. Allen bought some glasses.

Then, we headed into town, going east until we met the ocean. We then headed south to the wealthy part of town around Las Olas Blvd. The area was once swamp, so it is filled with canals, much like roads. There are very expensive homes with Bentleys and Porches parked in the drive ways and multi million dollar yachts parked in back on the canal. Some homes had corner lots on two canals so they could have two boats. All homes were professionally landscaped and maintained, so they were impressive to see.

Parking was hard to find due to an annual boat show. It is one of the largest in the world and contains some very large and expensive yachts. We could not find parking to eat at a place we wanted to, so we went back to the area near the ocean that we first went to and ate there. It was a bar/restaurant with great food that faced the beach, so we could enjoy the ocean as we enjoyed our lunch.

After lunch, we came home and spent the afternoon in and around the pool. Allen's friend Angelo came over to visit and dinner. We enjoyed seeing him again.

Day 46, Thursday, October 29, 2009 – 212 miles

We departed the central Florida area today in favor of south Florida and a visit with my cousin Allen Boucher in Orchard Park, near Fort Lauderdale. We got underway about 9:00 taking highway US192 south east to I95. The 212 miles were basically without incident, and Gretchen guided us to Allen's front door flawlessly. Allen, however, was not. He was at the BJ's Warehouse Store preparing for company (us and a new roommate arriving Saturday). A cell call got us in sync, and we waited a short while for his arrival, blocking his two nearest neighbors' driveways.
It was good to see Al. He has a gorgeous home with fantastic gardens around the house and pool. The house is a basic rancher, but very nicely decorated with great artwork and beautiful furniture. On the outside of the house we noticed some pottery pieces we liked. Allen agreed to take us to the store that sold them tomorrow.
We basically sat around and visited for the day and evening. We had a nice salad and ground beef steak for dinner, and relaxed in front of the TV for an hour or so before bedtime.
The trailer was quite warm (no air conditioning), but we toughed it out and decided to sleep there.

Day 45, Wednesday, October 28, 2009 – 35 miles

Today was another of those days where we deviate from plan. We were going to spend 1/2 the day at Animal Kingdom and the other at Magic Kingdom. Almost immediately after arriving at Animal Kingdom, we realized we would be lucky to see this whole facility before closing, so Magic Kingdom will be saved for another visit.

We wanted to see the shows, so we started with seeing the musical show based on the Finding Nemo movie. It was well done and entertaining. Next, we went to see a musical show featuring the Lion King characters. No story, just acts (acrobatics, dancing, singing, human and animitronic characters) and songs from the movie. Again, well done and entertaining.

For lunch, I tried a smoked turkey drumstick, something I have not seen offered in an amusement park before. Tasty and filling.

We spent the rest of the day going on rides which included a ride on a jeep type vehicle through the jungle and savanna of Africa where we saw wild animals (basically a zoo; we went around twice), a water ride during which we all got very wet (it felt pretty good in the hot afternoon), and the Mount Everest roller coaster, a ride that starts out going forward, goes backward for awhile after encountering torn up track, the then forward again for the rest of the ride. Lots of fun!

The Disney company really does everything first class. The architecture, phony trees, rocks, and other structures made of concrete, and the general layout geared for crowd control are all done well. What impressed me the most, however, is the vegetation. They imported plants from all over the world to correspond with the area of the world being represented in the park (the same was true at Epcot, but more so here). It is so lush and beautiful. I would be interested to know how many arborists and horticulturists are employed in these parks.

For anyone considering a visit here, this is the best time because it is between busy seasons. Lines were minimal or non-existent. A couple times, we had to wait a short time to get off a ride as the operators were waiting for new riders.

We were pooped after lots of walking following two days of lots of walking at Epcot and Kennedy Space Center. We finished the day with dinner at the Rain Forrest Restaurant located at the entrance to the park. We caught the last parking lot shuttle to the truck, saving a bit more walking.

Day 44, Tuesday, October 27, 2009 - 145 mles

NASA scheduled the test firing of the Ares I-X rocket for 8:00, so we got up at 5:00, picked up Melodye about 45 minutes later, and headed for Kennedy Space Center. We arrived at the check point about quarter till 8 only to be turned back. Tickets were sold back on the 15th for the privilege of getting a close look at the launch. We decided to find a spot on the mainland beach (Kennedy Center is on an island) to watch. Since we skipped breakfast, we bought some fruit and snacks at a convenience store then found a Brevard County Park with a few other hopeful rocket watchers and began waiting patiently. And wait we did. As the morning dragged on, the launch was delayed first by weather, followed by mechanical problems, and even a ship in the wrong place at the wrong time. As you have probably heard, it was scrubbed about 10:30 and rescheduled for tomorrow morning.

After a real breakfast, we went to the Astronauts Hall of Fame and Museum which is located off the Space Center but run by the same NASA contractor. We were concerned the Space Center would be too crowded due to the people there for the launch, but was told there were only 1700 tickets sold compared to a normal 14,000, so crowds should not be an issue. So we decided to see them today.

We started in the museum. It is well done with lots of memorabilia and history of the various space programs and people involved. There is a fair collection of equipment including a shuttle mock up.

We then headed east across the causeway to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. It has tons of exhibits and displays. We also saw a 3-D I-max film called the Dream Is Alive that promotes future space exploration.

After a tour of the visitor complex, we boarded a bus for the trip to the Apollo/Saturn V Center. An actual 3-stage Saturn rocket is the featured artifact. There were many other items as well.

The second destination is the facility that prepares parts, systems, and modules bound for the space lab. We saw people at work on a couple of the projects. It is winding down as the space station is nearing completion. Our last activity was to ride a shuttle launch simulator. It was loud and gave a cool sensation on what a real launch would be like.

Normally, the visit would include a trip to a launch site, but because the still fueled rocket was on the launch pad, we had to forgo that stop. We caught one of the last buses back to the Visitor Complex where we found our lonely truck sitting in a near empty parking lot for the ride back to Orlando. We were certainly disappointed we missed the launch, but had a good time.

Day 43, Monday, October 26, 2009 - 45 miles

Today, we picked up Melodye about 8:30 and headed over to Epcot, just a few miles away. We got parked just after 9:00 when they open, so we were parked near the entrance. We spent the entire day there, leaving after the fire works at 9:00.

Our kids/grand kids are going to be disappointed with us, but we took very few photos. Everything is phony there, so I wasn't inclined, even though, I have to admit, there are a lot of beautiful and interesting things there.

We were mostly disappointed in the tour of the countries. Each country had a film or display about themselves, some more elaborate than others. Each country had two or more eating places and two or more places to buy junk. We would like to have seen more about the countries. The buildings were mostly traditional for the country they represented, and those were interesting to see.

There is an international food and wine fair going on. For about ten bucks, you can get a small sized portion of food and a small sampling of wine from each country. That would get expensive since there were over 10 countries represented, so chose to not participate. It was also quite warm, so alcohol was not a good idea.

We got home to a very warm trailer. We used the air conditioner for only the 3rd or 4th time we have owned the trailer. When we awoke, it was still cycling as the overnight low was near 80.

Day 42, Sunday, October 25, 2009 - 316 miles

Today was a day of travel with in interlude of sightseeing in the middle. We began the day by getting an early start for the two hundred or so miles down to St. Augustine, FL. It was a pleasant drive. The weather was good and the traffic light which helped us achieve our objective of getting there before noon. Laurel's cousin Melodye McBride is on vacation in Florida for a couple weeks, spending on week in a time share in Orlando and the rest wherever. We met Melodye at a Wal Mart parking lot on highway 1. We decided to take a tour shuttle to see the town, like we did in Toronto and Charleston, and then picked one with adequate free parking for the trailer. We chose one run by the Ripley's Believe It or Not company on the north end of downtown, so we drove there and parked.

The weather was fine, although a bit warm at times. Like Charleston and Savannah, we saw a bunch of old homes plus some magnificent commercial buildings that were originally hotels. Of special interest was this old fort built back in the early 1700's by the Spanish. In it's history, it was never taken by siege. Some volunteers, dressed in period uniforms, fired a cannon to entertain the tourists.

We left St. Augustine after 6 for the drive to our campground in Orlando. Melodye followed in her rental car with Laurel as a passenger. We stopped for dinner along the way and planned our day for tomorrow. For the rest of the trip, Laurel rode with me as our destination was different from Melodye. We will pick her up in the morning for Epcot.

We drove from Savannah to St. Augustine, FL yesterday morning. We met Melodye McBride and toured the city in the afternoon. We then drove to Orlando, arriving about 9:00 p.m., too late to write the blog. We are off to Epcot Center shortly, so will try to update tonight.

I appreciate comments or emails so I know people are reading it.

Have a good day.

Day 41, Saturday, October 24, 2009 – 144 miles

We left Charleston this morning. Only about 100 miles to Savannah. On the way, on Highway 17, we saw swamp after swamp. Bob spotted an alligator in the water, just off the road. We also stopped at a cider stand, and purchased some apple cider, which was some of the best I have tasted.

After securing a campground, we drove into the city. We arranged to take a Greyline Tour which lasted 90 minutes. Savannah is about as old as Charleston, but the architecture is much less impressive. The city fathers have not been as vigilant in retaining the original (although ante-bellum or pre-Civil War is better) as Charleston did. There is a mixture of 18th century, 19th century and 20th century Art Deco in the same neighborhoods, as well as a smattering of buildings that have been built in the last 20 years in the current styles. We saw a Victorian Civil War era home painted bright fuchsia and teal (hardly authentic era colors).

The late 1700/early 1800 residential areas are better, and the city was set up with a square or park of about one or two blocks every few blocks. Most of these have statues of either a Revolutionary War or Confederate hero. There is a larger park of about 10 square blocks at the end of the old part of the city, and in the center is a beautiful marble fountain, with statues of Greek gods and swans, etc. The ironwork in the fences and on the building fronts were impressive. There was a quite large wedding going on next to it as well as a couple more smaller weddings in some of the other squares. The weather was beautiful, (high 70's) although we did have some intermittent rain at the beginning of the tour.

After the tour, we walked around the old harbor area, as well as Forsyth park where the wedding was. We will leave early in the morning for St. Augustine.

Day 40, Friday, October 23, 2009 - 23 miles

Today we took two tours on Charleston's Finest Historic Tours, Inc. First, we covered the historic downtown area that is filled with homes and buildings, some that date back to the 1700's. Our guide gave us lots of interesting facts regarding the history of many of the homes including recent sales.

Our second tour was out to the Magnolia Plantation and Gardens. This antebellum plantation is one of the few that still exist along the Ashley River. None are true working plantations; they are tourist facilities. Magnolia's primary claim to fame is the gardens, the oldest public gardens in the country. An intermittent light rain kept us from enjoying it fully, but it was a very beautiful and interesting. We saw a number of alligators and waterfowl in and around ponds, plus a variety of animals in a petting zoo.

Charleston had a lot of Haloween decorations, including one we decided to share with you.

We decided to put Charleston on our list of cities we would like to visit again.