Bob and Laurel's Excellent Adventure

Laurel's comments on trip

2009-12-01T16:31:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-22T10:03:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-18T09:31:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-16T18:36:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-16T16:32:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-16T15:51:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-16T14:41:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-15T06:55:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-11T20:23:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-10T19:08:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-10T18:39:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-09T16:35:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-09T14:38:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-08T20:15:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-07T19:33:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-04T19:01:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-04T18:18:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-04T05:54:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-04T05:22:00.000-08:00

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

2009-10-31T17:45:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-30T13:55:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-30T07:54:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-30T06:55:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-28T16:58:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-27T19:09:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-27T18:41:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-10-26T04:42:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-24T17:29:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-23T18:35:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-22T17:34:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-21T17:17:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-21T16:56:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-19T16:10:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-18T15:50:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-18T14:56:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-18T14:35:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-18T14:24:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-15T07:23:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-14T07:58:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-14T07:36:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-14T07:22:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-12T17:14:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-12T16:49:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-08T18:00:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-07T17:46:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-07T09:06:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-05T17:20:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-04T17:07:00.000-07:00

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.

Day 20, Saturday, October 3, 2009 - 222 miles

2009-10-03T17:23:00.000-07:00

Today started off with sun and scattered clouds as we prepared to depart Acadia. Traffic was kind as we began the southern leg of our tour. It wasn't very long before we drove into rain showers, and we were forced to endure them the rest of the day. We experienced a couple diversions on our way to Bath, ME, to visit the Maine Maritime Museum. The first was an accident blocking US1. The police officer directed us onto another road. He didn't tell us what road to use to get back to the highway. We wound up following Gretchen's advice and travelled about 15 miles on back roads to get back to US1. We also had a couple wrong turns as Gretchen was not up to speed on latest road changes.

We found the museum which is located next to the Bath Iron Works, and after lunch in the trailer, we went in. The museum consists of several buildings, the main housing wonderful paintings and models of boats and ships built in Bath and paintings and photos of sailors and ship captains from the 1700's through mid 20th century. There were also a number of artifacts. In addition to the main building, there are a number of out buildings that used to house the boat builders, each containing actual tools and materials that were used. They also have a restored ship and a captain's residence to tour. It was worth the effort to go, despite the rain.

About 4:00, we continued south. With the weather so bad, I decided to take the freeway. It was 4 hours to Springfield, MA, so we stopped about half way here in Portsmouth, NH. After some fairly good Chinese food, we are camping at a Wal-Mart parking lot. I will post some pictures when I get wifi again.

Day 19, Friday, October 2, 2009 - 71 miles

2009-10-02T16:48:00.000-07:00

Today was a day of fantastic sightseeing on Mount Desert Island, the location of most of Acacia National Park. We drove the Main Loop Road, stopping innumerable times for photos. Laurel use our new little Canon and I used the older Olympus. The weather was cool but beautifully sunny. I can't describe the beauty; you will have to see it for yourselves. The 27 miles took almost 4 hours.

We returned to camp for lunch, then headed to Bass Harbor Lighthouse on the extreme southern end of the island. We got to travel through several small towns along the way. Of particular beauty is Southwest Harbor. The lighthouse was small by most standards, but rather beautiful. It was worth the trip.

We again returned to camp with a stop for groceries and beer in Bar Harbor along the way. Again, the wifi at camp was not up, so I am sitting in the campground TV room, where I can tap into the office wifi, catching up on 4 days of blogs.

Tomorrow morning, we start our southern leg of the journey. We will go to Bath, ME for a shipyard museum (and maybe another lobster).

Day 18, Thursday, October 1, 2009

2009-10-02T16:09:00.000-07:00

Before I go into today's activities, a few observations.

1. Holy smoke - I can't believe it is October already.

2. We are up to 3687 miles, about 131 less than my original estimate.

3. There seems to be a trend at RV parks here in the east to not allow credit cards. Cash only, and they have ATMs in the lobby.

4. Here in the east on non-interstates, there are a lot of grades of 6-9%. Those are tough pulls for my Chevy (wish I had bought the diesel)

Today was a great day although we didn't do what we set out to do. The plan was to go to the park Visitor Center, watch the intro movie, then drive the main loop road, a 27 mile road around the perimeter of the main part of the park. After the film, we started out for the loop, but decided we were too low on fuel and went into Bar Harbor for gas. It took a while to find a station. I found one whose pumps were busy, so I pulled in back of this old minivan. An elderly man (looked to be 80) got out and started to fill his car. I went into the station to use the rest room, and when I returned to the truck, he was just starting to pour. Laurel went inside to get some tea, and when she returned, which was no short time, he was still trying to get the gas cap on. It took him 6 tries. After that, he grabbed his cane, yes cane, and sauntered into the station to pay. Five minutes later, he returned to his car and started to get into the back seat. After realizing his mistake, he got into the front. After seeing all this, my assumption was the man was too old to drive. However, he pulled away from the pump island and maneuvered around a truck and into traffic with no difficulty. By the time I was fueled, my tea was no longer hot.

So we are off again, but missed the turn to start the loop. We found the road to the top of Cadillac Mountain, a 1530' high block of pink granite. Now, we westerners might laugh at calling so small a hill a mountain, but since it comes out of ocean, it is impressive. We drove to the top, hiked along the summit trail, and took a number of pictures. It is breathtaking up there with the lichen and moss covered granite. Weather was cool but with sun breaks, a vast improvement over the last few days.

After we got down and were headed back to the loop, Laurel saw a sign for Blackwoods Campground. She wanted to see it, so we started down that road. After a few miles, we stopped and looked at the map. The campground was at the southern end of the park, so we decided to go back to the loop. By this time, it was 11:30 and I did not want to start the loop on an empty stomach, so we headed back to Bar Harbor. This is a tourist town with lots of shops and restaurants. Due to Fall foliage tours and a cruise ship in the harbor, it was very busy. We got lucky and found a parking spot on the corner of a block (parallel parking that crew cab truck is a bear) just outside a restaurant. After a nice lunch, we decided to explore the town. Most shops were advertising end of season discounts, so we picked up a couple of sweatshirts and a painting at very reasonable prices.

By now, it is after 2 and I did not feel like driving, so we returned to camp. We dinked around until 5:30 when we decided to go to dinner. We stopped at the registration desk to ask for a suggestion for lobster. He recommended the Chart House, just a couple miles away. Before 6, a whole lobster is $16.95. We got our lobsters and enjoyed them immensely. We retired to the trailer for some relaxing music, red wine, and chocolate, the end of a wonderful day.

Day 17, Wednesday, September 30, 2009 - 273 miles

2009-10-02T15:48:00.001-07:00

We got underway this morning about 7:30, continuing on US302 to a place called Fabyan where we turned uphill to the depot for the Mount Washington COG Railway. It was raining rather hard, so we were questioning the value in paying the $54 apiece for the 3 hour trip. We decided to go for it, and I am glad we did. We were on the first train of the day which employs an old steam engine (the others are diesel). It was quite and experience as the grade, which took us from about 2500' to the summit of 6288', the highest mountain east of the Mississippi. The weather got better as we neared the top, although there was a breeze and temperature of 33. The top of Mount Washington claims to have the worst weather on earth, we I guess we had a good day.

The ride down was interesting. The conductor, who rode on the front platform of the passenger car on the way up (car in front of engine), operated the brakes of the car on the way down. Apparently, the engine brakes are not strong enough to stop both engine and car. Did I mention the grades are up to 37%? That's steep.

After the return to the depot, we watched a movie about the development of the railroad, had lunch in our trailer, then started for Bar Harbor. We asked Gretchen to take us the fastest route. We took 302 to three different state highways after which we got on I95 north. We made good enough time to make it to where we will spend the next 3 nights, Bar Harbor Campground. Free wifi is one reason we chose this place, but we were unable to connect after arrival due to technical problems that were due to be fixed tomorrow. I hope so, and I hope the weather improves.

Day 16, Tuesday, September 29, 2009 - 189 miles

2009-10-02T15:19:00.000-07:00

Today was a casual day of tourism and not many miles. We left the KOA taking highway 15 south where we crossed into the US in New York on to I87. We took the first exit onto our old friend, US2, heading east into the Lake Champlain (great lake wanabe) area. The highway meanders south for 20 miles or so, skipping over a series of islands, reconnecting to the mainland just north of Burlington, VT. The islands are populated with villages, some quaint, some just weather beaten. There were some nice vistas, but a person can't park a rig as long as ours just anywhere, so we got few photos. Also, the weather was blustery which discouraged long hikes to take a photo of a cute cottage on an inlet.

Our first stop was in Richmond, VT. They have the "Old Round Church" originally built as a village meeting place for 4 churches and town meetings. An older couple was volunteer guides, and since we were the first tourists of the day, we received the complete history. As we were leaving, a news reporter for Channel 5 in Plattsburg, NY, there to interview a contractor who was to make repairs using recently acquired grant money, interviewed me. He was a nice young man. When we mentioned where we were from, he said his mother is best friends with Walt Worthy's wife (Walt Worthy is a successful developer in Spokane owning the Davenport Hotel among other large properties). I had to admit I did not know Walt or his wife personally, but have read a lot about them.

Stop two was in Waterbury at the Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Factory. They do a nice job with the tour, but it pales compared to Hershey Chocolate Factory. Anyway, I got to enjoy my first ever B&J ice cream. Pretty good stuff. My favorite part of the place is the Graveyard of Old Flavors. It is a mock cemetery with headstones with funny poems for the retired flavors. It was raining so I only shot a few. Getting in and out of the parking lot was tough. I almost pulled the trailer over a post; I had to backup and take a second try to get out.

We continued east, heading toward New Hampshire. I made a wrong turn in Montpelier and wound up driving in front of the Capitol building with its gold dome. After Montpelier, we abandoned US2 in favor of US302 to take us to Mount Washington. The fall foliage colors especially at the higher altitudes were very beautiful, despite the rain and overcast skies. We saw lots of gorgeous farms and homesteads, the types you see in magazines. We made it as far as Littleton, NH, where we set up camp in the Wal-Mark parking lot. We used the opportunity to replenish supplies.

2009-10-01T13:44:00.000-07:00

Just a note that I am running a few days behind due to lack of wifi availability. I should be caught up tomorrow. We are in an RV park just outside of Acadia National Park. Maine lobster for dinner tonight.

Day 15, September 28, 2009 - 30 miles

2009-09-28T17:35:00.000-07:00

After the day in Toronto as tourists, we did the same in Montreal, although we scaled back a bit. We drove to the waterfront to park, and then walked around the area known as Vieux-Montreal, or Old Montreal to us foreigners. We wandered up and down the narrow, brick paved streets and saw lots of 100 to 300 year old buildings including the Notre Dame Bascilica and Chateau-Ramezay, the latter having been a museum since 1895. Many of the old buildings now housed shops and restaurants on the ground level and apartments above. We toured the museum and experienced a historical journey from the days of the Iroquois longhouses to the present. Much was presented on the evolution of the bicycle, probably because the city emphasiszes using bikes for transportation (there are rent-a-bike stands around town).

We had a very pleasant and delicious lunch at an open air restaurant on Place Jacques-Cartier. Even in nice restaurants, frittes, or french fries as we call them, are served with many entrees. I had them with some sausages with mustard sauce and salad. Super.

Light rain was intermittent throughout the day, and wanting to avoid the forecasted heavier rain and afternoon traffic, we left downtown about 2:30. We saw a Costco yesterday, so we decided to go see how they compare to ours. Gretchen took us to one about a mile from our freeway. The store was very similar to ours. There were some differences in meat selection, breads, and dairy. The big surprise was the small wine selection and lack of french wines. We bought a roasted chicken, baguettes, and a bottle of wine for dinner.

We look forward to being back on US soil tomorrow and having cell service.

Day 14, September 27, 2009 - 370 miles

2009-09-27T21:48:00.000-07:00

This marks the end of our second week. Boy, does time fly when you are having fun.

Today was not our best day, however. We got an early start, heading out after a night of fairly heavy rain. Fortunately, it let up while we were preparing t get underway so I did not get wet while hooking up the trailer, putting the power cord and hose away, etc. We experienced rain off and on for most of the trip to Montreal, but it was mostly light. The trip was mostly uneventful although here in Montreal area, we experienced some of the roughest roads I have ever driven on. We went through a section of undulating surface that caused much of the stuff on shelves to wind up on the floor. Fortunately, nothing broke. We also had a near miss when traffic came to a quick stop and I didn't.

The only close-in RV Park I could find is a KOA in St. Philippe just off highway 15 south of the city. We got here about 3:00 and used the afternoon to do laundry and rest. We had leftovers from Frankenmuth for dinner. We decided to watch some TV, but only found one English speaking station with good reception. We watched a movie instead, having to pump up the audio to hear the movie over the rain on the roof. The 5-day forecast calls for more rain in this area and New England. We can deal with rain, but it does mute the autumn colors which are coming on strong along the St. Lawrence River valley.

Trying to follow the Quebec signs was a challenge as they are all in French, not bi-lingual as in Ontario. I thank Gretchen for getting us here even though here French is atrocious. For tomorrow, we will ask her to help us get to where we choose to go and back tomorrow.

Day 13, Saturday, September 26, 2009

2009-09-26T17:50:00.000-07:00

Today, we spent the day as tourists. We took the Go-Train from the station about 3 miles from the camp. We went downtown to Union Station where we bought tickets to ride a double decker shuttle tour bus called a hop on, hop off. It has a two hour route around the city with 21 stops. A guide provides details about the city, and we can get off at any stop and catch the next bus that follows each half hour. We decided to take four stops:

1. St. Lawrence Market Complex - kinda like the Pike Street Market in Seattle only with more food choices and no flying fish. It was very busy with the locals doing their Saturday shopping.
2. Toronto Eaton Center - this is a large downtown mall with a huge atrium and a diverse food court. We had lunch there sharing a plate of Indian food. It was very tasty. The place has the largest Sears store I have ever seen.
3. Casa Loma - a castle type mansion built around 1914 for Sir Henry Mill Pellatt, a turn of the century tycoon. It has been under the management of the Kiwanis Club since 1937 where they run it as a tourist attraction.
4. China Town and Kennsington Market - a former housing area that are now a collection of eclectic shops. The China Town has more food stores than I have ever seen and approximately 500 restaurants (we ate at one getting authentic Manderin food. Being close to the University of Toronto, there were a lot of young people there.

We then boarded the bus for the return to Union Station. Traffic was very bad due to a series of activities in Toronto this day, some being the largest book and magazine show in North America, a college fair for area high school seniors, a bridal fair, a Blue Jays baseball game (they beat the Mariners), a preseason Maple Leafs hockey game, plus preparation for the Toronto Marathon that will be run Sunday morning, thereby closing some downtown streets.

Day 12, Friday, September 25, 2009, 308 miles

2009-09-25T15:22:00.000-07:00

Today, we drove the highways from Frankenmuth to Toronto. We decided to take the fastest route in order to beat the Friday afternoon traffic which we heard is horrendous. It seems the area's infrastructure has not kept up with growth over the last few decades. Canada's liberal immigration policy has allowed people from all over, especially Asia, to settle here. Of the 5.5 million in the Toronto area, less than half are native born.

We set up camp at Rouge Hill Campground which is on a city park. It is an unusual campground because the sites are not well defined. We park on grass. It is a great location, close to everything.

Tomorrow, we will tour Toronto.

Day 11, Thursday, September 24, 2009

2009-09-24T13:59:00.000-07:00

Today has been a laid-back day of visiting the tourist town of Frankenmuth. This is Michigan's version of Bavaria, much like Washington' Leavenworth, only much larger. We visited a number of the shops including quilt, clock, leather, kites, country, and a brewery. We also went to Bronner's, the world's largest Christmas store. It about the size of a small mall and has more types of ornaments than you can possibly imagine. It also has every type of indoor and outdoor decorations made. Dixie, Prudence, and Betty would really like this store.

What impressed us the most about the town is the flora and fauna. The main street is lined on both sides with a myriad of flowers and trees as you can see on the photo. It is very beautiful.

I also took the time to visit Memtron, a sister company of AIS, while Laurel was exploring the town. I made friends with several guys over the years on the phone and visits to Coeur d' Alene, so it was fun to visit their place for the first time.

Day 10, Wednesday, September 23, 2009 - 281 miles

2009-09-23T18:48:00.000-07:00

Today, we took the scenic route US23 from Mackinaw down the east coast of Michigan to around Bay City. We then took a series of local roads (at Gretchen's directions) to get to an RV Park in Frankenmuth. The place did not have water hookup, so we went to plan B, Pine Ridge RV Campground, about 5 miles south in Birch Run. All spots are full hookups. No Wifi, however, so we are using Verizon.

My niece Stephanie Pan and her husband Eddie drove up from Canton, MI (west of Detroit) to join us for dinner at the world famouse Zehnders restaurant. They are expecting their first child in March. Steph teaches and Eddie is a Sales Engineer for a Japanese company that makes automotive antennas.

Day 9, Tuesday, September 22, 2009-275 miles

2009-09-22T15:25:00.000-07:00

The first day of Autumn has us on our way to the second destination of our tour, Frankenmuth, MI. We made it over halfway there, stopping for the night at a park a few miles south of Mackinaw City. We made one stop along the way at a museum that was once a lumber mill for Ford Motor. We looked around a little, but didn't tour the museum.

We arrived in Mackinaw City about 3:00 and spent the next couple hours exploring the downtown area. There are more fudge stores here than any other place I have been.

We treated ourselves to a regional favorite for dinner, the pastie. It is a tasty meat pie served with gravy. Not bad, but I may not have another.

Day 8, Monday, September 21, 2009

2009-09-21T18:03:00.000-07:00

Today was a day of chores and more local sightseeing. We did our laundry, did a little shopping, had the oil changed in the truck, and paid a visit to the hospital where Monica works. The boys were in school and Rob at work, so it was Monica and Regan with us. After lunch, we went toured the Quincy Copper Mine, a facility that began mining about 1840. About 1920, it installed the largest steam powered lift in the world but only stayed in production for another 11 years, a victim of the depression and poor copper prices following the recovery. The National Park service has declared the operation as a historical site, so it is now a museum. The tour included a trip inside one level of the mine where it was wet and 44 degrees. Michigan Tech used this mine tunnel for training for years before they dropped the program due to the decline of mining in the area.
The day started out cool and rainy, our first precipitation of the trip. By noon, however, it cleared off and is sunny with temps in the high 60s. Good thing as a barbeque is planned for this evening.
In the morning, we leave for Mackinaw.

Day 7, Sunday, September 20, 2009

2009-09-20T18:05:00.000-07:00

Today was a day of leisure with Rob and Monica, twins Colby and Quinn, and infant sister Regan. After a late breakfast, we piled into the family mini-van and headed up the peninsula. We meandered through Houghton, saw Michigan Tech where Rob was educated, saw Rob’s place of work, and several other landmarks. We proceeded up US41 to the historic mining town of Calumet and then over to the coast of Lake Superior to a beach at Eagle River. We had a picnic lunch, the boys played in the freezing water, and Regan ate sand. Fun was had by all. We then proceeded along the coast up to Copper Harbor, diverting briefly to drive to the top of a hill from which you could see for miles. From there, we went a short drive into the woods where we hiked about 1.5 miles on a trail through old growth trees. There were some white pine trees over 3’ in diameter.
Rob is a civil engineer who specializes on cleanup from old mines. On the way home, he showed us one that he recently finished where mine waste was buried under 18” of soil, and a drainage ditch that was placed where a natural creek had run before the mine dumping. The new creek was lined with native trees and vegetation, most of which survived the transplantation. Rob said this project, which he designed, managed, and completed under budget, was closely monitored by the state and the EPA, and will be used as a model for future cleanups. He has 3-4 more projects lined up in this area.
Anyway, we stopped and had Mexican food in Calumet on the way home to end a very enjoyable time. We took a number of pictures to share.
As mentioned earlier, Colby and Quinn are twins. They are actually identical and very difficult to tell apart for those of us who see them so infrequently. We have a “cheat sheet”, you might say, that makes it easy. Several weeks ago, Quinn broke his left arm when playing on monkey bars. The cast makes it easy. Actually, had that not been the case, we could have identified Colby because of the bandage on his chin from a separate monkey bar incident. These are active boys!

Day 6, Saturday, September 19, 2009 – 215 Miles

2009-09-19T18:01:00.000-07:00

Another colorful sunrise greeted us after a restful night as we prepared for the last leg of the journey to Monica and Rob’s. It felt good to start the day with fully charged batteries, both us and the trailer.
Our route took us off of US2 for the first time since Oldtown. Shortly after crossing into Michigan, we used a series of state highways to find our way. Although I had it mostly mapped out, I must confess we relied a lot on Gretchen, our GPS, to find Chassell and the Aho’s home. The speed limits are 55, so travel was a little slower. The bonus was our fuel consumption was lower.
The trip across the top of Wisconsin took us inland except for around Ashland where we experienced magnificent views of the lake and lakeshore. It is a clean, attractive town as well. The majority of the rest of Wisconsin and into Michigan up to Chassell had us dissecting mixed deciduous and evergreen forests with fall colors starting to come on.
We advised Monica on Saturday that we would arrive at 3:00 p.m.; we arrived at 2:58, and we did not speed up or slow down to hit the time. Actually, we could have been an hour early as I did not realize most of the UP is in the Eastern Time zone. Only the counties that border Wisconsin are on Central. Anyway, the Aho’s have a lovely home on 5 acres. The house was originally built a hundred years ago. It was modernized and enlarged before they bought it and recently added to it further. The land is on a gravel road with little traffic. It is mostly flat with an old barn for Rob’s wood tools, a garage turned shop for the airplane he is building, a shelter for his old Allis tractor (I’m jealous), and a tree house for the kids.
We went for a walk in the neighborhood after dinner, with Monica carrying Regan in a back carrier and Rob pushing the twins in a stroller. There are lots of unutilized land parcels around here and nice parcels can be bought for a thousand an acre. Homes in the area sell for half of what they sell for in Spokane. The winters are long and snowy (average 300”), so maybe there are few willing to brave it. Also, there are few year round employment opportunities here. Copper mining and wood products are what caused this are to be settled. With mining gone and little logging going on, the main industries are tourism and Michigan Technical University.

Day 5, Friday, September 18, 2009 – 399 miles

2009-09-18T18:00:00.000-07:00

We got an early start after a quiet although well lit night in the Wal-Mart parking lot. Laurel’s medication means frequent trips to the bathroom, so we had to stop several times at first. No problem as we were in no hurry. We stopped for a warm breakfast about 9.
The landscape changed continuously from large wheat and hay fields to other crops including corn, soybeans, sunflowers, and cattle. We soon entered the national forest and lake region after Bemidji winding up in the Duluth MN/Superior WI area where we are tonight. We found this small RV park with full hookups for $24. After eating dinner, we drove around the area for about an hour and a half. It is a very interesting place with shipping the major industry. I have a picture of the lighthouse on Point Wisconsin. Very pretty. Also, it was windy causing white caps on the lake.

Day 4, Thursday, September 17, 2009 – 426 miles

2009-09-17T18:00:00.000-07:00

The day started somewhat ominously as we noticed our batteries were low. Apparently, they have not been getting a full recharge during the day’s towing. I thought the truck should be able to keep them full. We stopped in Wolf Lodge for fuel. I inquired with a local police officer for an RV shop. The closest was Williston, ND. I suspected one of the batteries, but a test at the Car Quest store indicated the batteries are good. We stopped at the RV place in Williston, and the technician spent nearly an hour with me trying to trouble-shoot, but to no avail. We decided our overnight, planned for Devil’s Lake, ND, must be at an RV Park where we can get an electrical hookup. Guess what! There are none in Devil’s Lake, so we are in a Wal-Mart parking lot being very stingy with batter consumption.
The drive was much like most of yesterday, being the Great Plains. We saw a large bull dear, white crane, and lots of antelope. Repetitive, yet beautiful countryside. The further east we came, the more farm land. Wheat is in full harvest (hard red, I believe) as well as hay and other crops. I love farm country. The highlight was a stop at Rugby, ND, the geographical center of North America.

Day 3, Wednesday, September 16, 2009 – 416 miles

2009-09-16T17:59:00.000-07:00

We started the day with a skirt around the southern edge of Glacier Park. Some very beautiful, mountainous scenes were afforded us on another bright, sunny day. The landscape transgressed to the high, grassy plains (about 4400’ elevation). This was the view out the windshield for the rest of the day, save occasional towns, rivers, and clumps of trees.
We completed our day at Fort Peck Lake. We scored a free camp site overlooking the lake. What luck! With very little ambient light around, star-gazing was a real treat.

Day 2, Tuesday, September 15, 2009 – 168 miles

2009-09-15T17:58:00.000-07:00

Today, we did what most visitors to Glacier National Park do – drive the Going to the Sun Highway, a 50 mile trek across the Continental Divide at Logan Pass connecting West Glacier with Saint Mary on the east side of the park. For anyone who has never experienced the drive, put it near the top of you “to-do” list. Ask anyone else who has done it. There is a lot of road rebuilding going on, so there were some construction delays. No problem, just opportunities to meet more people and take more pictures.
There are two large, beautiful glacier lakes on the drive, McDonald on the west and St. Mary on the east. They are so beautiful, tucked in the mountains. We saw a large black bear on the shore of St. Mary. Unfortunately, I was unable to get a photo of it.
After we returned to camp, we made a sojourn to check out Whitefish, Montana, about 25 miles west. It is a ski town in the winter at the base of Big Mountain. In the summer, it is a bit of a tourist town with a fair population of yuppies, very much like Sandpoint, Idaho. We were fortunate to catch a weekly farmer’s market in a park across from the railroad station. We bought a nice loaf of bread and some corn from one of the local religious sects. We took a look at the old railroad station. They have a 60 year old Hertz car rental office (the oldest for Hertz). They are still using an old roll-top desk (but have a computer).
The day was fantastic, sunny and unusually warm for this time of year. Temperatures were in the mid 70s to 80s here at the lower altitudes (3200’) pleasant up on top. There was some late summer haze that shows up in the pictures, but not too bad. Many businesses and park activities are already closed for the season.
Tomorrow, we attack the Great Plains.

Day 1, Monday, September 14, 2009 – 294 miles

2009-09-14T17:57:00.000-07:00

As we prepared to hit the road, I tried to hook up the GPS unit that we fondly refer to as Gretchen. To my dismay, the car charger was broken. I thought that this is no way to start a vacation. I then thought of a work-around plan. I would use the AC charger and the DC inverter I bought to keep the computer charged in the car. Laurel had a better idea. Our pals Pat and Vic have the same model GPS, so I called and borrowed their charger. I got on line with Magellan and ordered a replacement sent to their house so all is well.
We had beautiful weather today. Our journey took us north through Rathdrum and Spirit Lake, Idaho to connect to US2 just east of Newport, WA. We travelled through Sandpoint and Bonners Ferry before heading east into Montana. We lunched in Libby and are spending the night at the camp ground in Glacier National Park. The camp ground seems to be a feeding area for deer. We saw several while walking to the registration station. One walked within 6 feet of us as we stood watching it.
Three or so years ago, I purchased a senior pass for National Parks. Sure glad I did. We get free admission to the park and 50% off on camping. We will use it at Acadia and other parks too.