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.

Day 33, Thursday, October 22, 2009 - 170 miles

This morning, Laurel and I decided to forgo a visit to Myrtle Beach in favor of spending more time at Charleston. We had no specific plans for Myrtle Beach anyway and know Charleston has a lot to offer. So we headed south from Florence on US54 connecting to US19. We used our Woodall book to find a campground, Oak Plantation, just south of Charleston. Check in can't be before noon, so we had to kill some time. We found a boat launch at the end of a bridge a short distance from the campground that provided a scenic place to park and make some lunch.

During check in, we were given some tourist info. While getting the trailer setup, Laurel investigated some places to see. We settled on the Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum for this afternoon. It features the aircraft carrier, USS Yorktown, a ship I saw many times during my service in the Navy. My ship, the fleet oiler USS Cimarron, refueled the Yorktown many time during the Vietnam War. Patriots Point also has a submarine, destroyer, and Coast Guard ship, although the latter two were not on site today.

On the Yorktown, we had a good time going from the bridge all the way down to the engine room. It includes ten different naval aircraft that flew off the Yorktown and other carriers. There is also a Medal of Honor Museum and lots of memorabilia.

We stayed until after 5:00 after which we stopped at a store for camera batteries and some groceries.

Day 38, Wednesday, October 21, 2009 – 177 miles

Not every day goes as planned, sometimes better, sometimes not. We were hoping to get underway for Myrtle Beach by 11, but instead enjoyed a leisurely breakfast of Carol's special wheat pancakes with 3-berry sauce and Bill's famous coffee followed by a few more hours of wonderful conversations. When we were getting up to leave, we were invited to go to a place called the Soda Shop in Davidson for barbecue. We could not turn it down.

We did get going about 1, and decided to follow Gretchen's directions for the fastest way to Myrtle Beach. This included mostly freeway using I-77 south to I-20 east. All was going well until about 15 miles east of Florence, SC, I noticed in the rear view mirror that the trailer was tilted to the right. I pulled over to discover we had a tire failure that had ripped off the fender (see photo). We called AAA, but it turns out we don't have coverage for the trailer. We had to change it ourselves. It took about 45 minutes because we had to remove the bicycles from in front of the tire and use the truck jack to jack up the axle. It was a real hassle. After we got going again, we stopped at the Wal-Mart in Florence for a tire. By the time that was changed, we decided to spend the night here, so here we are. Myrtle Beach will have to wait till tomorrow.

The irony of the situation is I just checked the tire pressure yesterday and added a few pounds to reflect the cooler morning temperatures. Hopefully, this will be the only tire problem we have.

Day 37, Tuesday, October 20, 2009 - 97 miles

After a cold and noisy night in the Wal-Mart parking lot in Statesville, NC, we decided to visit a Costco. The closest one was south of Charlotte. It would work out fine, schedule wise, as we told Bill and Carol we would get there before noon. The trip to Costco and back to Bill's was 97 miles and would take us past the downtown area, something we were not planning, so that was a bonus. We saw four high rise buildings under construction, so this area is growing. Anyway, Costco looked almost like the ones at home with a few different products. We picked up some wine and a few other items.

We got to Bill's about 11:30. I had tried to call, but there was no answer. Turns out Bill and Carol were out and had returned shortly before we got there. Good timing.

We had a very nice visit, just enjoying the sun and 70 degrees. Bill's hobby is cooking and he cooked an excellent dinner of salmon, stir-fry vegies, and roasted sweet and white potatoes. Carol gets stuck with the dishes, but she doesn't mind.

Carol is a sculptor, and a very good one at that. Since retiring and moving to NC, she has been going at it with vigor, and has a number of nice pieces in process. She has decided to supplement social security by selling some pieces, and has done a few recently.

Our conversations kept us up to after 10:00, late especially for Laurel. Lots of remembering our pasts, stories of our working lives and families, as well as current events. It was very enjoyable.

Bill and Carol have a pet parrot, Zoey. She is quite the bird and interacts with them more then I imagined a bird would do.

Tonight will be a quiet night, and not so cold.

Day 36, Monday, October 19, 2009 - 432 miles

On the road again.
We woke to the second straight day of frost, an anomaly for central Kentucky in mid October. We made our final preparations for departure in the dark as we wanted to get an early start. After breakfast with Mom and Pru, we headed into Versailles to the hospital for Laurel to get a routine blood test. While she was getting that done, I was trying to decide on the routes to use to get to Davidson, NC, our next stop. I had a preliminary plan taken from maps that I did before we left that was 432 miles. I asked Gretchen for the shortest route. It saved very few miles and had us going on secondary roads. I then asked for the quickest route, and she suggested I64 east to I77 south. It added another 40 miles. I decided to go with my original plan to start, and that was to go I64 east to the Mountain Parkway followed by US23 south to get through the eastern Kentucky hills. When I got to Prestonsberg, I asked Gretchen again for the fastest route. She had us follow my original plan for awhile and then use US58 Alternate to get to I81 and then to I77. It added just a few miles, but seemed like a good compromise.
The drive was magnificent. The sun was bright and the sky clear. The higher up we got (we peaked at over 2800' in Virginia), the more color in the trees. We noted with interest the infestation of kudzu, an invasive vine introduced in the southeastern US from the far east. We saw a number in infestations where it had taken over hillsides, killing the native vegetation. It climbs everything including utility poles and guy wires and billboards, not to mention derelict vehicles and buildings. We saw one area that was probably sprayed as it looked dead. It definitely is a problem here.
There was a fantastic view as we descended from the highlands. I bet we could see 50 miles to the east and south. Unfortunately, we could not get photos as there was no place to stop.
Anyway, we made it as far as Statesville, NC. We will get to Bill and Carols tomorrow morning after we make a visit to a local Costco (we have been going through withdrawal and need a fix).

Day 35, Sunday, October 18, 2009 - 0 miles

Mary spent the night with Mom last night, so she was able to enjoy a breakfast of sausage, bacon, fried potatoes, eggs, and biscuits with us. Pru, on her way to church, stopped by and had some.
While Pru went to church, we finished up some chores (laundry and the final door handles), and then we all met Dana, Sandy, Brenda and Rachel for lunch in Georgetown, and visited a flea market. The afternoon was spent updating the blog, finishing laundry, etc. Dinner was a Pru's. She fixed leg of lamb. Very good.
Tim and David have been hunting deer. It is muzzle loading season here. David got a doe yesterday, but the deer had the good luck today. Those guns are sure loud.
We will be back on the road tomorrow.

Day 34, Saturday, October 17, 2009 - 90 miles

We woke to yet another day of cloudy skies, but the rain was limited to an occasional mist. After breakfast, Laurel had a date for a pedicure in Lexington with Sandy and Brenda. Pru decided to join them. I drove the truck as I needed to fill a propane cylinder. I also wanted to go to a Verizon store to update my Internet service and to a Best Buy to pick up a backup drive (I got nervous about loosing all our pictures and other documents). I dropped them off at Pronails and ran my errands. I stopped at a Starbucks to check email and look into Disney World ticket prices. Afterwards, I met them at the Fayette Mall, one of the premier shopping venues in Lexington. We left from there to lunch at Max and Irma's, a place that makes a mean tortilla soup.

We went over to nephew Paul Ladd's home in Lexington to visit him and son Blake. Shannon was out of town - she was pinch hitting for someone on a trip to Jamaica. Blake, who is just 5, is a real athlete. He can throw a football with spiral and a baseball long distances with ease. It was fun playing with him.

We drove home by way of my old hometown, Versailles. Dinner at Mom's tonight would include Mary, Ann, David, Pru, Laurel and I.

Day 33, Friday, October 16, 2009 - 0 miles

This morning after breakfast, I went to Pru's and put handles on her kitchen cupboard doors. She had purchased them at a Home Depot that was closing. I'm not sure how long she had them, but she needed someone to drill the holes in the oak doors to mount them. I made two drill templates, for left and right opening doors, from a couple of old cigar boxes. I wanted the hole location and spacing to be the same on all doors. I was very careful on the fixtures, but it turned out the handles varied a bit and were bendable enough to fit variances.

In the afternoon, Pru drove the four of us to niece Ann, Tim, and David's house for a visit. David, a computer science major in college, tried to fix the problem I have been having using Outlook for email, but to no avail. He did inform me my hard drive was nearly full. After looking closer, we found the hard drive is partitioned into two equal segments called OS and Data. I assume the Data side was for my documents and the other for applications. Anyway, neither he nor Ann, an IT specialist for the state, know how to work with partitions. Guess I will have to go to a service shop.

Before leaving, Tim gave me a walking stick he had made. He had about 20-30 sticks, all different, and gave me my choice. Unable to work, he makes these to occupy his time. They look great. Thanks again, Tim.

Day 32, Thursday, October 16, 2009 - 0 miles

Today was day of welcome inactivity and no driving. We spent the day at Mom's. In the morning, we mostly did some reading and enjoyed eachother's company. We certainly were not enjoying the weather, another day dominated by rain and coolness.
In the afternoon, Mary and Art came over to visit and dinner later. It was good to see them.
During the day, we did a bit of Facebook exloring. We looked at a lot of pictures on our son's page. Unfortunately, we ran over on our 250 mbit budget on our cell. Because we get charged 25 cents per mbit over the limit, we decided to not go online until getting it upped.

Day 31, Wednesday, October 14, 2009 - 87 miles

More rain, and it came down heavily in the morning. After breakfast with Mom, we drove to Winchester to visit my brother Dana and wife Sandy and daughter Rachel. Dana is president of the Winchester Kiwanis and he invited us to his lunch meeting. He had a speaker discussing diabetes.

Dana is turning his garage into a haunted house for Halloween. We shopped for some decorating items while out running errands.

After lunch, we spent the afternoon visiting. We shared some of the 1000+ photos we have taken so far on our expedition. About 5:30, we dropped off Rachel at her church and we went to a Mexican restaurant. The restaurant has the most colorful furniture I have ever seen (see photo).

It was a fun day, despite the weather. We got home about 9:30 to a chilly trailer.

Day 30, Tuesday, October 13, 2009 - 35 miles

Today was a day for visiting with Mom and doing chores. I took the truck into Frankfort for an oil change and tire rotation. I also did some shopping for Mom, Pru, and ourselves. Laurel, meanwhile, did laundry and some house cleaning in the trailer.

For Pru, I bought new 9 volt batteries for her smoke detector system. She has 7 detectors that are wired together. At 3:30 this morning, one went off. She called me to investigate, which I did. We could not find anything that would cause it to alarm, and I tested all the alarms for functionality. One or more were beeping, the signal for low battery. The bottom line is we did not get a full night's sleep.

The weather was partly sunny, breezy, and a high about 60. Per the forecast, this will be the best day of the week. Oh, well.

Mom showed us a bunch of old family photos that my cousin Allen Boucher sent. Most were of my dad, but there were some of my grand and great grand parents and other relatives. I got out our printer/copier/scanner and scanned them all individually. Anyway, I don't recall ever seeing a picture of my grandfather Charles Ladd or his parents before.

Day 29, Monday, October 12, 2009 - 165 miles

We hit the road again just as the sky was showing a bit of light (the differences in sunrise and sunset between being in the eastern end of the time zone at Acadia and toward the western end in Kentucky is very noticeable). We made good time, taking a couple stops to stretch. I did get in trouble as I tried to park in back of a McDonald's to find not enough parking and a delivery trailer blocking the exit. I had to drive through the take-out window lane to get out. I got strange looks from the kids in the take-out window and the car I had to cut in front of to get out.
It was good to get "home". Pru's dog Cuddles was very glad to see her. We are parking at Pru's house because the trailer is too big to get up the hill to Mom's house. We walked up there and spent most of the afternoon with her.

Day 28, Sunday, October 11, 2009 - 517 miles

Today is a day of travel as we hot-foot it towards central Kentucky where I grew up. I had a pre-planned route that would take us south east over several state and federal highways where we would hook up to I68 west, and then follow interstates to Frankfort. I asked Gretchen for the fastest way, and she sent us north to the Penn Pike, I76. I figured she knew better then me, so we followed her route. What she didn't count on was my confusion when entering the turnpike. I mistakenly started east instead of west. This added over a half hour, 34 miles, and $3.60 in tolls to the trip as we had to drive 17 miles to the first exit and then get back on to go west.
The day was mostly sunny and bright, so we got to see a lot of autumn colors, especially in the higher elevations of western Maryland as we crossed the eastern continental divide. The colors diminished as we went further south. We made it as far as 35 miles short of the KY border on I64 and pulled into a friendly Wal-Mart parking lot for the night.

Day 27, Saturday, October 10, 2009 - 119 miles

According to Gretchen, the campground was located further from Independence National Historical Park then I calculated, 49 versus 35 miles. Anyway, we headed into Philadelphia in a light rain. We parked at the park visitor center, picked up tickets for Independence Hall, and bought tickets for a bus tour of the town, the hop on - hop off tours. Our tickets were for 1:00 pm and the bus took about 1.5 hours to go around, so we decided to stay on the bus in order to get back in time for the Independence Hall tour (no other buildings require tickets; this does to prevent overcrowding).

We got on the double decker bus, hoping the rain would not start again. We barely got underway before it started raining lightly. Not long later, it was raining hard enough that we sought refuge below. Our views were severely limited, so we did not get many good photos.

We got back to the visitor center about 12:15, so a quick lunch was in order. We picked a street vendor selling the famous Philly Cheese-steak sandwiches and found a sheltered area to enjoy our lunch.

The Hall tour was guided. Our ranger guide did an excellent job giving us the history of the place and how our country was formed. The building is perfectly restored with authentic period furniture.

After the hall, we went through several other buildings including the one housing the Liberty Bell. The mint was closed, a disappointment.

The weather improved, so we decided to take another bus tour. We were able to stay on top all the way around, and got some good photos. We had a different tour guide who gave us some different information, but nothing that contradicted the first guide.

We went looking for a Mexican restaurant following Gretchen's directions. We would up going through some "rough" areas of town. We decided to head toward camp and stop in one of the little towns to eat. We wound up eating in a pub near a college. Food was OK, but nothing special.

Philadelphia is a beautiful city with lots of things to see and do. There are lots of statues around the city. Most are of historic figures and some of mystical characters. At the foot of the Art Museums steps is one of Rocky Balboa, the fictional boxer, who trained by running up and down those steps. Laurel wants to come back for a week's visit, so we will try to do that in the next year or two.

With tomorrow scheduled to be a long drive day, we turned in early.

Day 26, Friday, October 9, 2009 - 176 miles

Rain started falling as we prepared to leave for the Philadelphia. I got rather wet as I put away the water hose and power cord and drained the tanks. The rain continued most of the morning, getting hard at times. We drove down the Delaware Water Gap to Stroudsburg and then down PA33 and a few other roads to Birchview Farm Campground. Gretchen went into overload on the way down; I thought we were going to have to get by without her, but the reset button seemed to fix her.

We arrived about 2:00 as the weather cleared and it warmed up to about 70. By 2:30, we were looking for someplace to explore. We checked at the office where they suggested the Amish country. It is only about 20 miles from here, so away we went. We enjoyed looking at the beautiful farm country that took us to Intercourse, PA, a farm and tourist town with lots of shops featuring authentic Amish goods as well as items from other parts of the country and world. Laurel struck it rich, so to speak. There were two things she wanted to find on the trip, and she found them both. One is a pottery canister that we will use to hold cooking utensils, and the other a lace table cloth for the dining room table. She also found a large, wood drying rack at a reasonable price that we will use for drying clothes this winter. Pru found a few things as well, including a metal planter rack. Good thing we have space in the back of the truck for these large items.

We concluded our visit to Intercourse with dinner. This turned out to be our one disappointment of the day.

Tomorrow we go into Philadelphia. I hope the weather holds.

Day 25, Thursday, October 7, 2009 - 239 miles

We bid our fond farewells to the Petersons and headed west. My sister Prudence is riding with us to Kentucky. Our first stop was Bristol, CT. We were planning to go to the Clock Museum and the Carousel Museum after Mystic Seaport, but Mystic took the whole day. So we decided to visit these two museums in lieu of Cooperstown.

We went to the Carousel Museum first. They have a large collection of old carousel items along with lots of history about carousels. They have facilities to make as well as restore carousel pieces using the old methods. It is an interesting place.

Located in the same building is a Fire Fighter museum. It started as a collection of old apparatus and photos from a local fire chief. The museum is small, but has a nice collection.

We drove from there to the New England Clock Museum. This museum has thousands of clocks and watches, some dating back over 200 years. Some are very unique, some just pretty, and some quite large as they control large faces like on a clock tower. I especially enjoyed the exhibits of clock making tools.

We west across NY on I-84, getting off onto PA209. We are staying in a campground in the Delaware River Valley. We did not arrive until after dark, so I don't know what it looks like. The roads and sites are not paved, that I know.

Day 24, Wednesday, October 7, 2009

This morning, we had a casual breakfast and mostly relaxed. We had some serious rain overnight and it was continuing intermittently. Bob and I drove to North Attleboro to a locksmith where I had a couple sets of trailer keys made (I lost one set in Bar Harbor).

After lunch, we suplemented our experience in wooden boats from yesterday with a visit to the Whaling Museum at New Bedford, MA. The museum focused on how whales were/are harvested (the politically correct term), the products made from the whales, and whales in general. It is a very interesting and educational museum.

We went out for an early dinner of Seafood at Davey's Locker there in New Bedford. They serve the best fried clams I have ever eaten, and the fish was great also.

We drove down to Sandwich which is located just across the bridge over the Cape Cod Canal, and did a little shopping at The Christmas Shops, a store similar to Pier 51.

The rain let up by late morning, but the wind picked up. The weather report indicated wind gusts of 45 and some damage around the area. Nothing here at the Peterson's except lots of pine needles on the ground.

Day 23, Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Today, we drove to Mystic, CT to tour Mystic Seaport. The day was absolutely perfect! The weather was bright and sunny, we had a personal guide (more about this later) of a fantastic place, and I did not have to drive!

Our merry band consisted of my cousin and host Noella Peterson and husband Bob, my sister Prudence Cowan, Laurel and me. We headed out about 7:30, stopping for breakfast at the Crackerbarrel, somewhere about an hour from Attleboro in Connecticut. We arrived in Mystic about 9:45. A friend of ours, Dave Davidson, has a friend, Jack Clark, who is a volunteer worker at Mystic Seaport. Dave introduced us via email a few months ago. Jack offered to provide a private tour of the place, so we met him at 10 at the main gate. He first showed us the shipyard, the area he is most familiar with. They are restoring the last wooden whaling vessel in the world as well as other projects. All work is performed with period tools, making it a project for trained workers in nearly obsolete crafts. Jack said there are no apprentices, so the future of the shipyard may be in jeopardy.

We stayed until just before closing time. Afterwards, we drove back to Attleboro for dinner. Following dinner, Laurel, Pru and I went to Norton and visited our Aunt Barbara Barrows and cousins Billy and Mike. We had not seen them in over 2 years, so it was a nice visit. Billy is about to retire, but Mike has a few more years to go.

Day 22, Monday, October 5, 2009 - 67 miles

Today began as a travel day as we departed Brimfield for Attleboro. The short trip was fairly uneventful. I made one wrong turn that had me making a U-turn in a school bus garage parking lot (there were a few strange looks as well as smiles on the faces of those arriving for work). As we were approaching Attleboro, a road exit closure had Gretchen calculating a new route to get to Noella and Bob's.
The afternoon was spent doing laundry and some maintenance on the trailer. It was nice not going anywhere.
The Peterson's son Bobby with wife Rachael, son Jacob, and dog Moose came over just before lunch. We had a good visit with them. Later in the day, granddaughter Erica and boyfriend Mike came over.
About 4:40, Bob, Bobby and I (yes, 3 Bobs) drove down to the Providence airport to pick up my sister, Prudence. The planets were aligned. The plane was early, we found a parking spot just outside the terminal, and her bag was 4th on the baggage conveyor. We were back in the car within 10 minutes of arriving. We were back home a half hour earlier than expected.
After a great pot roast dinner, the guests left and we saw part of the Monday Night Football (here, it starts at 8:30, awfully late).

Day 21, Sunday, October 4, 2009 - 178 miles

The rain stopped overnight, for the most part. We continued south on US1 along the New Hampshire coast with our view impaired with low clouds and fog. When we got to the Seabrook area, we hopped on I95 south and then I495 west to skirt the Boston area. We then proceeded west on SR2, then picking up US202 south and a couple other roads to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

The Hall of Fame was very interesting especially the displays about the history of the game and how the rules changed over the years. The museum primarily addresses college and professional men and women, but also touches on high school and international/Olympic basketball. We were especially interested in this year's inductee, John Stockton of Spokane. He played at Gonzaga Prep High School, Gonzaga University, and 17 years with the Utah Jazz where he holds the NBA record for assists and steals. He and Michael Jordan were inducted together.

The weather improved greatly during the day. It was sunny and 70 when we finished the museum. We located a campground to spend the near Brimfield, about 25 miles to the east on US20. It advertised wifi, but he signal where we set up camp is too weak. I need to check that out before selecting camp sites in the future.

New England has some of the most interesting and beautiful architecture. We passed several very large brick buildings in some towns that were once factories. Some still are, and others are now serving other purposes. Some farm houses are interesting. You can see where the main structure has been added on to several times and is now connected to a barn.