South Atlantic Coast and Eclipse: Spring 2024

Our passion for road tripping is taking us all the way to the east coast this spring. Our route follows the southern US border from Arizona to Texas, then skims the coastline through Louisiana, Alabama, and the entire outline of Florida. We then head northward in a zig-zag fashion, to insure that as many points of interest and family relatives are included as possible along our way. Then, come April 8, we'll catch the Total Eclipse in Indianapolis if the weather conditions are predicted favorable, or head further southwest rapidmento in search of clear blue skies. The rest of our journey is still to be determined, from the central states back to California. It wouldn't be an adventure if everything was planned from start to finish, would it!

We spent the month of January adding a few longed-for enhancements to our camper van. We added solar panels, so we now have three 100-w solar panels soaking up all those amps and feeding them to our coach battery. We added a battery monitor to the coach battery as well. Now, with both the new solar controller and the battery monitor sending information via bluetooth to our cellphones, we have all the info on our phone screens that any new camper vans display on their very fancy monitor panels. We feel upgraded, woohoo! We also have new tires on the van, due to a Michelin recall on the old ones. And the coup-de-gras, we added an awning. This awning is awesome, and runs the full length of the van. With all these upgrades, we are rocking!

Time to hit the road. Packing for a 3-month trip can be mind-boggling, but it has become routine as we have a tried-and-true packing list. None-the-less, getting ready for a road trip requires what seems like an endless list of tasks, and our feet are killing us for three days leading up to our departure, running from room to room, from garage to kitchen and bedroom, hallway closet, shed in the back yard, and out to the camper van on the street, and back to the bedroom, looking for things, and completing our packing inventory. But alas, the time comes, and it's time to push off.

February 5:  We've been watching the weather report. California is being deluged with successive atmospheric river systems, there is flooding and high winds with travel advisories for the SF Bay Area, Los Angeles area, and San Diego area. We arise in the morning and we are between storm systems; the next wave isn't supposed to hit for a few hours. So, we pack up the last of our things and our food items and hit the road, trying to get as far as we can by driving between systems. We escape the Bay Area with just a little rain on the Altamont Pass, and then are sailing free down I-5 until just before we reach the Grapevine at the Tehachapi's. There, the wind picks up and the rain starts pouring. Keeping our eyes pealed for flooding, we traverse the hills and descend into the LA basin. Our destination for this evening is Ramona in Eastern San Diego county, to visit Rath and James. We intend on cutting eastward on I-210 through Pasadena, and then head south on I-15. But, just a few miles prior to the I-210 exit, our Google Maps re-routes us to stay on I-5 to 405 and continue to San Diego. Typically we're re-routed if there are obstructions on our chosen route, so we adjust and head down the San Diego Freeway. The only good thing about the drive was there were very few people on the road, for the entire drive down I-5, even 405 was abandoned. Everyone else did the correct thing and stayed home, like the travel advisory told us to do. Hours later, we pull into Ramona, eyes-weary from ten hours of rain and wind on the drive. Rath and James had us in for a late dinner, and their hospitality was so very quenching to us weary travelers!

February 6:

One flow of the atmospheric river moved eastward overnight, so we had a little reprieve in the rain. On the weather maps though, a second flow was following right behind. We could look southwestward and we could see the front of the storm, with lightening striking and all. Time to hit the road and stay ahead of this new wave! Our destination today was to camp just east of Tucson, Arizona. The weather alternated between light rain and bright sun, as we stayed between these two atmospheric river flows heading eastward on I-8. The trick was to drive fast enough to keep ahead of the storm behind us, but not so fast that we catch up with the one in front of us.

Off in the distance, we could watch a cloud-burst. I love watching the sky in the west!  

Once we passed Tucson, the rain dissipated altogether, but the wind was wicked!  

Clouds hung overhead just to remind us that we were catching up with the front, even though we were spared of getting wet. After nightfall, our camper rocked in the wind. I'd like to say that it lulled us to sleep, but it was more like someone was tapping on our shoulder all night long.  

February 7:

After a night spent in Benson, Arizona, we were off with the wind at our back, heading through El Paso, and onward to Carlsbad, New Mexico. We want to see Carlsbad Caverns tomorrow, so we'll try to get as close as we can tonight, to give us lots of time for sight-seeing. The wind was fierce, and for brief times when the road turned slightly off the easterly trajectory, we felt it hitting us broadside. Whoa! Hold the wheel! Slowing down seemed to help keep us steady on the road; it's just going to be a trip where we keep a slow pace, and that's just fine with me!

We pulled in to El Paso at lunchtime, so we found this nice little cantina, "El California". They had a chicken mole special that sounded great! So I tried that, and Phil got the roasted pork special. Delicious! I suppose we should expect it to be pretty good, being that the restaurant was located just about fifty yards north of the Mexico border.

From El Paso we turn off I-10 and head into New Mexico on route 62, with the destination of White's City, home of Carlsbad Caverns. Two-lane highways were more what we were accustomed to, and we were grateful for the break in the rain so as to traverse on smaller highways without worrying as much about flooding. Ahhh, back in our comfort zone!

We find the Sunset Reef BLM campground just before the Park turnoff. And, there was a spot available for us. Perfect! Just in time to catch the sunset. And, this gives us lots of time tomorrow to be in the caves.

February 8:

Our campsite is so close to Carlsbad Caverns State Park that we're able to arrive at the visitor center right when it opened. We decide to sign up for a tour of the King's Palace Tour, which starts at noon, so we have all morning to poke around the visitor center and such. But, the tour meets down in the cave, not at the visitor center, so we head down to get there a little early. We descend down the natural opening, where there is a large viewing area set up for bat season (we are too early to see bats, doggone!).

 

The descent is about 800 feet, over a mile of steep trail. Ouch, ouch, ouch go my knees! Stretching out halfway down, we just knuckle down and get to the meeting area way down below. Even the path down to where the tours start is spectacular.

 

The formations are just spectacular. We now have our cave vocabulary down: Stalactite (hanging from ceiling), Stalagmite (growing from floor), Drapery, Bacon, Popcorn formations. I took way too many photos, but the excitement of these underground formations is just overwhelming.

  

  

  

  

Breath-taking! We started seeing people and animals in the rock formations; it was a wonder that these formations were formed with water and not by an artist with a chisel in their hand.

After our tour of the King's Palace caves, we went on our self-guided tour of the Big Cave, which is multiple football fields large, and has 1.5 miles of pathway for us to follow. So, after a few miles of underground sight-seeing, we found our way to the exit. Blessed relief, it's an elevator, we don't have to walk back up through the Natural Entrance. Catapulted eighty floors up to the surface, and we were back in sunshine at the visitor center.

It was nearly closing time when we left the park, so our next order of business was to find a place to camp. We headed north of the town of Carlsbad, and pulled up to an overlook at Lake Avalon, just as sunset was dimming down for the day.

 

Watching the sun set from both outside, and then also from inside the van is one of our favorite pastimes while on the road.

February 9:

Our drive today takes us across western Texas. It is pretty monotonous for about four hours as we start out; flat horizon, brown dirt with the occasional oil pump running. At least the rain has dissipated a bit, although it's plenty windy out here.

We stop in San Angelo to visit Barbara, James' sister whom we met at their dad' memorial service last fall in Haskell, OK. Just a quick visit over a cup of coffee and a piece of coconut cream pie at the Dun Bar Cafe.

While we're in the area, we stop in to visit Robert and Nancy as well. So glad to see them, even if it is just for an hour or so! They shared a large bag of pecans with us, and we shared some of our oranges from our tree in the back yard. Looking forward to having the chance to spend more time visiting with these fine folks!

Our destination today is to drive just a little further, so that we can make it to Magnolia, a suburb of Houston, by tomorrow afternoon. Texas is so huge, it takes days to get anywhere!

Barbara told us to be sure to stop at a Buc-ee's travel store if we passed one. We found one, and now I know why she mentioned it. It's a huge place!

 

They have absolutely everything you might want or need while on a road trip. About thirty gas pump stalls out front, and then junk food galore, and barbeque brisket sandwiches, honey-roasted pecans right off the griddle. Oh my! What fun! We even found exactly the kind of coffee mug that Phil has been looking for, so we got it. Barbara said they are starting to pop up all over Texas and other places in the south-central states. This could be a very bad habit starting. Yikes.

The terrain was starting to look more interesting with hills and greener vegetation. We started seeing roadside fruit and vegetable stands, and then by the time we neared the town of Fredericksburg, there were wineries and breweries about every 500 yards along the road. We didn't see any vineyards or hops growing as we were driving, but alas this was a hopping area for wine-tasting!

We get into the town of Fredericksburg, and it's now dark, but the place is alive with bars and restaurants, live music, and so many people walking the streets. It's Friday night, and the weekend fun was well underway. But we were beat, and it was dark (not a great time to look for a place to camp), so we pulled into the Walmart parking lot and hunkered down for the night.

February 10

From Fredericksburg to Magnolia, Texas is a nice 3.5 hour drive, a little shorter than we have been driving, thank goodness. And it is prettier as we move eastward, with more trees, horse and cow pastures, and green grass. As we get closer to Magnolia, the landscape shifted from rural to rural-suburban, with houses amidst the smaller fenced pastures, and strips of businesses along the roadside. Once we reached Magnolia, the shift was complete to suburban, with residences on standard town lots and outdoor shopping malls every mile or so. We are staying with Charlotte and Mike tonight, which we ae really looking forward to! We are also going over to Olivia and Paul's for a birthday party for Caroline who turned two years old this week. We love visiting, meeting new family members for the first time, seeing our nieces and nephews after years of absence. These visits are just priceless.

February 11

After a great night's sleep at Charlotte and Mike's, we indulged in a delicious brunch with them at a local restaurant. Then, it's time to peel ourselves away and continue the journey eastward. It's Sunday, and the superbowl is on tv this afternoon, so we want to drive our required distance and be settled into a campsite with cell service in time to tune into the game. We drive to Lake Charles, Louisiana, and check out the lake shore.

 

Now, planning for the superbowl.....

We have a TV in the van, but the antenna is a little wonky. We usually start out discovering all the local channels, and finally give up on the set-up process once we realize we've missed the broadcast that we were hoping to catch. We had a wifi-based ROKU system, but could not find it in the house when we were packing. So, we swing by a Best Buy to purchase another ROKU, a new and improved model apparently. I then go out to the van to set up the new device, and as I swing the TV around to access the plugs, our old ROKU presents itself, stowed so neatly in a zip-lock bag, taped to the back of the TV. I swear, these RV's have more little stow-away nooks and crannies to put (or lose) things. As luck had it, we were still in the parking lot at Best-Buy, so Phil returned the new device. Our sales associate thought we were nuts. After spending a half-hour describing all the devices and new-fangled features available to us, we return it anyway and revert to the much-older model that we already owned. To him, that made no sense.

We indulge in checking into a full-hookup campground just north of the lake. We are giddy with the nice strong cell service, and electricity! And, it is located on a slough that is a great place to catch fish. Not that we planned on fishing, but we enjoyed our camp host telling us about it.

 

Just in time for the superbowl. We set up our Roku system on the little TV in the van, and got comfortable.

What a game! Our team, the 49ers played great, but alas lost to the Chiefs in the last three seconds of OT. Truly both teams were the best of the best.

February 12:

Slowed down just a little bit, we realize that we are moping about because our team lost the football game. We laughed at ourselves, and try to get focused back on our road trip, this great big journey that we were undertaking. Now, from here to Tallahassee, we are just moving along, not planning on spending much time in Louisiana, Alabama, or Mississippi. Some day, we will return to New Orleans and give it a proper visit, but this trip is just going to be a pass-through.

We headed eastward on I-10, and pulled off to have a delectable sampling of Louisiana barbeque at Westlake. We found Jeanne's Bourbon Street Barbeque, and ordered a sampler special, including links, pulled pork, ribs, and brisket for two. It was just fabulous. So tender and tasty! I think we just ate our weekly allotment of animal proteins for lunch today.

We continued eastward on I-10, and then cut southward on route 90 at Lafayette, toward Morgan City. Along the way, the architecture began show the beautiful features of the south; majestic multi-story houses with large columns and grand porches. I could almost taste the mint julip that was being served in my mind's eye.

   

Continuing along route 90 through the Bayou, we came to Morgan City, where the downtown streets were decorated with plaques of family names from the area. We thought they might be sugar plantation families, but we're not sure.

It's Monday, February 12. As we meander through this part of the country, we can't help but notice that it's the week of Mardi Gras (and of course Ash Wednesday, but let's focus on Mardi Gras at least through Tuesday!). At about 5pm, we drove into the little town of Houma, and the main street through town was blocked off from traffic. People were starting to gather and line up along the street. We parked on a parallel street and walked back a block to see what all the excitement was. "It's our Mardi Gras Parade!", said the business owner of the Ford dealer, in front of which we were standing. "We have the best parades here in Houma!". She and her husband were all set to catch as many beads and trinkets that they could collect, from the parade floats.

If you have never attended a Mardi Gras parade, you'll need to hear the scoop: The parades start out with the local motorcycle police force blinking blue lights and doing figure-eight's in the street, noodling back and forth with their sirens blaring. 

Then, the parades do include marching bands and dignitaries, school dance troupes and pony clubs.

  

Then, what everyone gets excited about are these humungous two-story sponsored floats that carry people in all sorts of costumes that are throwing beads, footballs, yo-yo's, hula-hoops, and all sorts of plastic toys and costume accessories at the bystanders along the parade route. And, the parades go on for two hours! If you dance and sing to the parade people, they will hurl beaded necklaces at you. 

 

 I hear that, in New Orleans, the women spectators that show their boobs, yes lift up their shirts, will go home with enough beads to knit a new wardrobe from the spoils. But, Houma is a family town, so the crowd was a little bit tamer with little children held up to catch the occasional toy or necklace. We could dance though, and beads and toys would be cast your way. For one float, I was singing to this one Pierrot dancer to toss me a toy tambourine. I wasn't looking, but another Raggedy-Anne dancer tossed a whole bag of beads, still in its sealed plastic wrap, at me. It hit me in the shoulder, and ouch! That smarts! You gotta look out for the ones that hurl you a curve-ball!

 By the end of the parade, Phil and I had a garbage bag full of beads and trinkets. Oh no, now what do we do with these? There really isn't any room for all this stuff in our van.  

 

We asked our friends in front of the Ford dealership, and they said that at the end of the parade, a number of floats go by that have big bins on them, and you can toss anything back into the bins that you don't want. They then re-use everything tossed back, at the next parade. Or, since it's still only Monday, we found that many businesses in town still planned to have their huge blow-out parties on Tuesday, so they were very willing to take the loot off our hands. Mardi Gras is really big here. The schools are closed all week, and everyone participates in the town festivities, starting the weekend before, and running non-stop through Tuesday. What a hoot!

After the parade ended, we realized that it was 8:30 and we still didn't know where we were going to camp that night. So, we found the WalMart in town and hunkered down. In hindsight, that might not have been the smartest plan; we were parked between the WalMart and a Hooter's, right off the main street in town. The partying and noise level never subsided, so all night long, we felt like we were in the middle of a side-show or something. All went well, albeit we were a little droopy-eyed the next day.

February 13

Now, here we are passing through New Orleans ON Mardi Gras. What some people would give to be in our place today! But alas, we had so much fun celebrating at Houma, that we avoided getting sucked into the festivities in the big city. We expected traffic and parking to be impossible for our camper van to traverse. We decided to save New Orleans for another visit, perhaps where we could stay in town and walk to the excitement. In hindsight, I do feel it was nearly sacrilege to not visit New Orleans on Mardi Gras, to at least get a cup of coffee at Cafe Du Monde, or share a bignette with Phil, just to know that we touched down in New Orleans. Saving for another time. Good-bye New Orleans, til next time!

We continued eastward on route 90, hugging the coastline and passing through the bayou and southern bays and inlets along the way. The bayou is interesting; there is really a lot of standing water everywhere, and all the roads are like levies, built above the water table. Some roads are elevated causeways, where we zip through the swampy forest, just above the water's surface.

And, there are tons of bridges that cross the plethora of straits and channels through the area. I believe it is easier to get around by boat in this area of the country than by four-wheeled vehicle on land.

 

Stopping at a roadside stand, we indulged in some of the exotic foods that are known only to this area as far as I know.  

Alligator on a stick, boiled peanuts, Boudin balls (deep-fried rice balls), Cajun dipping sauce, gator sausage, and a gator roll (sort of like a piroshki). And then for dessert, pecan pralines. Phil enjoyed the exotic specialties. I liked the pralines, and I scored on a quart of vanilla extract too. The gator meat, I'll leave for Phil.

Our route took us only through the lower toes of Alabama and Mississippi, so we visited Biloxi and Mobile only as a drive-by.

  

And then we arrive in Florida. Woohoo! We've reached a state on the Atlantic coast! The architecture along the shoreline is acutely tuned in to the local environment. Houses way up on ten and twenty-foot stilts are the norm, no need to ask why.

 

At Pensacola, we dropped south to route 98 to follow the shoreline. We stopped near Panama City to appreciate the beautiful white sands of Florida, on the Gulf side.

 

The land is astonishingly flat throughout Florida. Roads are straight, and hardwood trees (and palm trees) grow thick and tall in this subtropical topology.

 

February 14

Hugging the shoreline, we drive to Apalachicola for lunch. An old settlement with a harbor, this town is so cute and quaint. In northern Florida, this is still considered off-season, so the slow pace gave the town an "island-feel".

 

 

Being that it is Valentine's Day, we visited the Coffee and Chocolate Shop and indulged in the delicacies offered there, albeit today is also Ash Wednesday, just a bit counter-intuitive to be indulging in chocolates. But, the aroma of freshly-roasted coffee beans and dark chocolate truffles overcame the senses. Abstention will have to wait for another day.

 

We headed to Tallahassee, where Phil's cousin Marian lives. Her full Christian name is Marian Charlotte, and goes by the nicknames "Merre" or "Charlie". I have found that many of Phil's relatives have multiple nicknames, and some of the family uses one name and others use another for the same person. It takes some practice remembering who everyone is, and listening intently when stories are being shared, to keep track of whom the stories are about.

Merre and John greeted us with such a wonderful welcome! We are enamored and endeared with their lives' stories and experiences. Can we stay a week and visit? It feels like we have a lifetime of visiting to make up for here! At the same time, we felt as if we knew them for years.

 

 

February 15

Alas, the time came to leave the next morning and be on our way. We plan to drive the entire shoreline of Florida, so southward we go. We bid good-bye, but felt that we would be back, and carry this visit with Merre and John close to our hearts and on our thoughts for some time to come.

Staying on the shoreline highway, route 98, we noticed that traffic was starting to build up, and we weren't making very good time on the road. Today was just a travel day, and traffic lights and trucks became the theme of this road. Time to re-evaluate our travels in Florida. Maybe the interstate is the best plan, since it looks like the rest of the gulf coast is pretty congested. Also, following a pickup truck towing gravel, we took a ping right in the windshield. Doggone! A little stellar pattern was forming, just the size of a dime.  So with the routine, call our car insurance, get referrals, etc., etc.. It's late now, so everything is closed, We'll need to look into that tomorrow. 

We stop at the Chassahowitzka River campground for the night, a blessed break from the concrete highway we had stared at all day.

February 16

Continuing southward, we stop at Palm Harbor to visit Judy, who has made lunch for us! Judy and her son's mother-in-law Cassie rented a house and were escaping the northern frost of New England for the month of February in balmy central Florida. We had a fabulous visit! Judy is such an inspiring person; her cheerful outlook is contagious as we talked about family, travel, kids and grandkids.

Judy told us to be sure to visit Clearwater Beach nearby, as it is considered one of the most beautiful beaches in the US. And she was right! It is beautiful.

 

We walked up a pier that was lined with street vendors.

 

For the night, we drove down to Fort DeSoto Park, an island dangling off the southern tip of St. Petersburg. We will have to get used to the little island feeling, being surrounded by water right off our campsite. It looks like the majority of the Florida coastline is lined with islands, or "Keys" as they call them here. So, lots of bridges, lowlands, waterways, wetlands, and tropical trees in the scenery.

  

Life is prolific, when the land is inundated with lots of water and sunshine. The vines and trees fascinate me here. This is nothing like the flora back in California.

February 17

It's Cyndy's birthday, I repeat to myself to remember to call Cyndy! As we are trekking along, we cling to our calendars and emails to keep us from flying completely untethered from our lives back on the ground. Joyful things like birthdays are a delight to remember, but other tedious things like finding a windshield repair service that can help us without an appointment, on a Saturday no less, is a little more of a challenge. After talking with three glass shops, we call SafeLite. They have a shop in Sarasota, which is on our way today, and they have an opening. Hooray! Because it's a small ping and we caught it early, we don't have to replace the windshield; instead, they inject this polymer goop into the crack, and smooth it over. Done! One setback hurdle jumped, we are back on our way.

We stopped at the restored Brayden sugar plantation. The main house and grounds was now a city park,

with beautiful trees and exhibits of sugar processing equipment.

 

Even with the serene beauty of this and other plantation parks, I feel a slight un-ease while walking the grounds. The lulling trees with wispy limbs draped in veils of Spanish Moss bend downward and wave in the soft breeze, beckoning you to step into that time and lifestyle of plantations in full production, with fields of sugar and cotton surrounding the large white house of the plantation owner, and laborers working to keep the operations running smoothly, and servants scurrying here and there to keep the comfort of the owner and his family in a state of acceptable platitude. Ah, such dreams are made of these. But, that one little problem: the sweat and blood of the workers and servants is the required ingredient for the success of the plantation and that blissful lifestyle for the land owners. And, in my head, the word "plantation" was the definition of a farm or facility that ran on slave labor. But maybe I am wrong? Maybe it's not the name of the establishment, but the geography that keeps this from sitting well in my psyche. What exactly is a plantation? Allow me to turn to the Oxford dictionary:

plan·ta·tion

/planˈtāSH(ə)n/

noun

1. an estate on which crops such as coffee, sugar, and tobacco are cultivated by resident labor.

So, the term "plantation" does not specifically imply that the workers were slaves, but rather that they lived on the grounds where they worked. Hmmm. Going back to the specifics of geography, we are in a state which allowed slavery, hence it was pretty easy to assume that laborers on agricultural estates in Florida, Georgia, and the other southern states were predominantly slaves. So, this gives me that inference between slavery and plantations. Back to my un-ease: What was the intent to continue to refer to certain land holdings as "plantations"? Simply the historical reference of these estates might be a good reason, as there is no denying that plantations defined a lifestyle and economy that has a place in the history books. It defines an air about the South, a lifestyle of bucolic farming, sweetness in the air, and "livin' is easy" (although the laborers see it differently). Then, the Civil War all but obliterated the southern way of life; agricultural lands as well as cities were completely destroyed in the wake of the war, and the economic structure of the south was destroyed with the abolition of slavery.  Driving around the south, we see the historic remnants of a distant way of life, and the scars of the war are still prevalent at the battlefields and other fort posts. The folks of the south needed to rebuild in the very space where everything still reminds them what was lost, and for the 55% of the population who were black, what was gained yet was still a dream on the horizon.

 This is where the historical reference of plantations troubles me. Bringing back that reference to a way of life for nostalgic purposes risks bringing back other elements of a time gone by that we cannot return to; we cannot risk resurrecting the anger, the hardships, the blame, the suffering. We must move forward. I can take in the beauty of the current presentation of these estates, but I immediately associate the beauty with the heavy empathy to the souls who dearly paid the price, and the scars of their suffering that continued for generations. Perhaps my Connecticut Yankee background is getting the best of me. I do realize that, just as much, there were business owners in the North that grew very rich from the sweat labor of those working for them in very poor working conditions. But they weren't slaves, and that's a VERY big difference. This is my first visit to the deep South. It is an educational trip for me, indeed.

Continuing southward, we head for Sanibel Island, to meet Phil’s cousin Candy. Sanibel had been ravaged by Hurricane Ian in September 2022, and the island residents were still working to rebuild. Candy had just finished the last big jobs getting her house rebuilt, and had just refurnished it a few days before we arrived. 

  

 It was a joyous occasion visiting Candy!And as it were, her brother Pete (George Pete) and his wife Marty, and Pete’s son Ben (James Benjamin) and his wife Anne, and Candy’s nephew Jay (John Jay) were in the area for the winter, so Candy invited them all over for lunch. We got to meet six new relatives, all at one visit. This was very fun! Candy showed everyone around the house, and they all remarked about the beautiful new furniture and art pieces in the house, and gleefully cheered when Candy presented beloved pieces that were salvaged from the floods.

 

February 18

A layover day with Candy! We loaded into Candy’s car and she gave us a tour of Sanibel Island. It has been a year and a half since Hurricane Ian blew through the island, but the damage it left in its wake was still astonishingly visible. Nobody was spared from the damage of the hurricane. Rebuilding was slow, as every household needed construction workers and supplies, both of which were in short supply. Also, the bridge to the island was damaged and only allowed a slow stream of vehicles to cross it at any one time. That slowed down the process completely.

 

As Candy explained, her house was under four feet of water during the storm. After the storm had passed, residents were not allowed to return to the island for weeks, on account of downed power lines needing to be cleared. So, when the residents returned, they either found their homes stripped down to just the ribs of their structures remaining, or they found all walls and roof intact, but now growing thick layers of mold on every surface within the house. Every single structure on the island was affected.

Back at Candy's house, we luxuriated on her back porch, watching pelicans and dolphins on her boardwalk. The back side of her property was lined with a channel meandering through the neighborhood, and the front faced the San Carlos Bay. Florida landscape at its finest!

 

February 19

We bid Candy farewell, and with her endorsement, headed south to visit the Corkscrew Swamp. This is a park and bird sanctuary run by the Audubon Society. In the park, you walk along a 2-1/2 mile raised boardwalk that keeps you just inches above the murky waters and tropical flora and fauna. 

 

 Fabulous time of year for this, as there were no bugs!  

But, the alligators and other amphibious creatures were reluctant to show their faces. And the birds, oh my gosh, the birds were here and what a spectacle for my non-tropical eyes to behold.

 

In the center of this center pic, you can see the silhouette of a woodpecker.

  

We did see two alligators, just lulling around in the water. Part of their gig is to stay hidden.

 

Some orchids were in bloom, but the evasive Ghost Orchid was hiding in its off-season greenery, so no good pics of it. But, check out the vines on the tree trunks! Life is prolific when given food, sun, and water.

  

February 20

After an overnight stop at a Harvest Host (New Life church, just east of Miami), we were on our way to that far-reaching southern extent of the continental US, the Florida Keys. We will be staying at a little RV park on Key West.  Woohoo! Driving out to the Keys is amazing; a single road that is mostly a series of bridges connecting the string of islands for 120 miles, off the most southern tip of Florida. As we approach the tip of the Florida peninsula, the grassy lowlands give way to open water, and we're now out on the path along the Keys.

 

The water is just the most beautiful turquoise blue here. Wow!

Oh man, they really like speedy boats here. This one has four outboard motors. FOUR?!

US Route 1, also known as the Overseas Highway is the single road that threads the islands together and tethers them to the southern tip of the mainland. 

Aside from the stretches of waterways between the islands, the roadside is packed with beachy shops selling sandals and sunscreen, freshly-caught seafood, and all kinds of vacation services like boat rides and deep sea tours, fishing safari's, small hotels, surfboard rentals and everything else you can imagine in a tropical vacation area. Driving for the 120 miles in this high-density commercial zone becomes really fatiguing, as everyone that pulled off the road to imbibe or attend to a necessary call must pull back onto this two-lane highway. We have to watch intently for lane-jumpers and cross-highway dodgers trying to accelerate from 0 to 50 in two seconds flat, just to jump back into the flow of traffic. And the flow of traffic is endless. As we finally realize, we are not in a zone of "off-season" here in the Keys. We are smack dab in the middle of the season when the New York and Michigan snowbirds have headed south to enjoy this beautiful sky and turquoise water, without nary a speck of cold, white pristine snow to be seen. It's breezy and balmy, but the temperature is just a little shy of the optimal 75 degrees they were looking for (it never got above 69 while we were there actually). We noticed that visitors were buying jackets because their warmer clothes had not made the "bring list"; normally t-shirts and shorts would suffice.

Finally, we pull into Boyd's RV Park, on the island of Key West. Our camp spot was only big enough to give us an 18-inch walkway along the sides of our van, but from front to back was up against a fence and just barely off the park road. Two nights of tropical inundation, we are just sleeping here we tell ourselves.

Let's hit the sights! We head for Zachery Taylor State Park, and visit Fort Taylor, a critical holding for the North during the Civil War, and a prominent look-out during war exercises afterward. Restored after World War II, its prominence on the point gave insight to its strategic importance.

 

 

From the roof of the fort, you could see the harbor at Key West. It hosts large cruise ships that flood the town with tourists during the mid-day hours.

We walked to the park beach area, and indulged in the warmth of a south-facing exposure. Still not warm enough for us to go swimming, but maybe we'll come back here tomorrow in the early afternoon and take to the water. We took in the sights, a man blowing giant soap bubbles, and others working on their tans.

  

Back to our campsite just in time to catch the sunset.

February 21

Today we get to see what Key West is all about. We get to spend the whole day in town.

We drive into the Old Town, and find a perfect spot on the street to park. Wandering the streets is a joy, as we are a little bit early so the crowds haven't emerged yet.

We visit the old Hellings Curry mansion that is now owned by the Key West Women's Club, and got a private tour by Janie who, funny enough, snowbirds from San Rafael, California!

  

The owner, Mr, Hellings grew a successful business by salvaging cargo from sunken ships off the reef surrounding the island. On the benevolent side, his team of divers would watch for ships that run into the reef, and they'd row out to them to assist the crew of the sinking ship to safety. They then would return to collect all the cargo, and according to sea laws, the cargo belongs to whomever fetches it after a ship sinks. Mr. Hellings grew VERY rich, in fact was considered royalty on the island from this practice. To me, that seems like legal piracy, but who am I to say! This was the primary source of local income, and the town was very affluent from the auctioning of the salvaged cargo until the series of lighthouse warning systems lessened the shipwreck occurrences in the mid 1800's. 

The architecture around Key West was old and fancy! Lots of Victorian buildings with cornices and trim, and wrought iron finials. Even the Hard Rock Cafe got into the Victorian theme.

 

 

We stopped in to check out the famous Kermit's Key Lime Pie store. The owner is retired but still comes in to lure you inside, and pretends to throw pie at passers-by. He wasn't there this morning though, too bad.

 

For lunch, we ate blackened shrimp and other local favorites at a sidewalk cafe. Roosters wander freely everywhere here. They are like the mascot of Key West, signifying good luck. It was popular to keep roosters and run cock-fights in the back alleys. When this was outlawed in the 1970's, they were set free into the streets. With the escape of a few hens in the area, the population of "gypsy chickens" and roosters flourished.  

 

We visited the fancy neighborhood south of Old Town, where the Little White House was located. President Truman used to hang out here, hence the name.

 

Nicely enough, the sun is working hard to get the temperature above 65 degrees today. I think we are almost at 70 in the full sun! Time to hit the beach! We went back to the beach at Zachary Taylor State Park, and Phil took the plunge. Others were doing their best to work on their tan.

 

I enjoyed sitting on the beach and watching the ships pass by as they left the harbor.

 

February 22

Today we head off the island of Key West and land on Big Pine Island to visit cousin Brenda and Tom. Phil and Tom are heading out 30 miles from the shore on a 28-ft boat to catch some black-fin tuna (Tom's dream) while Brenda and I stay on terra firma and catch up for the forty years since we'd seen each other. I think the guys were pretty brave to get onto that little boat to go out so far from the shore!! And, Phil only caught one cute little fish after a whole day of fishing!! Sorry to say, there were no tuna biting the hook today for Tom either.

 

Meanwhile, Brenda and I visited the Turtle Rescue Center, and then had a fabulous lunch while chatting away on all the things we needed to catch up on. We were at the restaurant for over three hours, not even noticing that they were trying to close for the day. We were so focused, so much to talk about !

 

 

February 23

In the morning, we got a little more visiting time in before we headed north off the Keys. 

 

Then it's back up the 120 miles of route 1 through causeways, bridges and island traffic. Once we reached the mainland shore, we headed slightly inland (we weren't really that interested in visiting Miami) and stopped at Crocodile Lake Refuge and Butterfly Sanctuary. Phil and I had just been debating whether there are actually crocodiles in Florida or not. I'd always believed that crocodiles are in Africa and alligators are in Florida. But I was wrong! There is a sub-species of crocodile, the Florida Crocodile no less, that is in Florida, with the alligators. What do you know! We didn't see any crocodiles, but we did see some beautiful butterflies.

 

 

All the roadways here in Florida have marshy stretches and waterways lining the sides of the roads. In them, there are tons of large birds. I don't know my bird species, so I'll just say these are pretty birds :-0.

 

We also drove up to the shore of Lake Okeechobee, which is HUGE. It looks like an ocean!

Our next destination is the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral. This is one of Phil's main events for our trip, so we plan to spend the entire day here. Fortunately there was a Cracker Barrel restaurant just on the mainland across from the Indian River, so we stayed the night in their parking lot and got an early start at the Center.

And here in the parking lot, more of those big white birds! They are spread evenly in a row, moving like a search line, looking for evidence, or maybe just bugs and worms in the soil.

 

February 24

Phil is as anxious as a little boy on his way Disneyland. Here we are, at the Kennedy Space Center, wow!!

We saw huge rocket bays, and the control center for the Apollo 11 flight. All of this is fascinating!

They had such realistic displays, and some of the craft on display were the real capsule from various Apollo and other missions. Fascinating!

 

Moon landing, anyone?

 

Phil got to sit inside a capsule and push buttons.

Lots of displays on all the Space Shuttle missions.  

  

They had a great exhibit on the Artemis Project, where we eventually plan a mission to Mars.

 

That evening, there was a Space-X launch scheduled at Cape Canaveral, so we left the island and hung out on the shore across the river to watch. Sadly, the launch was scrubbed for the day, but the full moon gave us something beautiful to look at. The towers were the launch pad location.

 

Now, to find a place to camp for the night. There just aren't any campgrounds around here, so we settle in at a Love's Travel Center with a bunch of other like-minded campers.

February 25

Happy Birthday to my Dad today! He would have been 94 if he were still on earth. Alas, he travels light, and joins us in my thoughts on this big adventure.  Today, we head north and we're staying close to the coast for the rest of the time we are in Florida. Daytona Beach is in our route; thank goodness it's a few weeks early for Spring Break. We get to see what it looks like minus the mobs of sun and party worshippers.

 

Very snazzy houses here in this neighborhood!

 

 

As we drove further north, the high-rise hotels gave way to the smaller, more quaint motels and beach cottages, with miles of sand meeting the waves of the Atlantic Ocean.

 

There was a huge motorcycle convention just north of Daytona Beach scheduled for next weekend. Lots of bikers were getting in early for the big event.

At day's end, we reached St. Augustine. We learned that this city is the oldest city in the US, established in 1565. Yup, that's before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts, and before the settlement at Jamestown in Virginia too.  It doesn't get its due credit for this title though. We figure that's because it was a city in a land owned by the Spanish.  It wasn't part of the US until 1821 when Florida became a US Territory, and then in 1845 as a state. But, between 1565 and 1821, St. Augustine's history was about as volatile as ever, with the British conquering the city and the Spanish re-conquering it back from the British, back and forth until 1821 when the US swooped in and bought all of Florida from the Spanish, the gem of St. Augustine included in the package.  

February 26

We stayed at an Elks Lodge in Anastasia, just south of the city of St. Augustine. The St. Augustine Lighthouse is located right next to our campsite, so we start our day by visiting the Maritime Museum and climbing to the top of the lighthouse.

  

What an incredible view from the top! The topography of this area is beautiful, with rivers and ocean and green pastures, and that beautiful settlement of St. Augustine across the river. Even from here, you can tell that the city is beautiful, from the peaked rooftops and brick buildings visible from way up here.

 

We met a museum docent up at the top who gave us all kinds of info about the area. It was fascinating learning about the area, and as he told us historic accounts and stories, we could see the stories come alive in the landscape from up here.

 

Check out the developed area at the very tip of the sand bank in the center of this pic.  Our docent chuckles and says that whole development will be gone with the next hurricane. Yikes! But yes, people should build their houses on the rocks, not the sand. Like the Sunday School song taught us.

I always love checking out the prisms in lighthouses. This one is a Fresnel lens made in France, one of the first installed in the US.

 

Back downstairs, we visited the historic buildings at the base of the lighthouse.

 

Now, we're off to St. Augustine. What a magical place! Even the bridge into town had ancient historic significance.

 

The architecture displayed relics from Spanish roots as well as British and American styles.

  

We had pizza and antepasta salad at an award-winning pizza place in Old Town. It was fabulous!

 

Walking the streets of Old Town was a little touristy, but the old buildings are fascinating, being that they are all hundreds of years old.

  

We then walked over to the Castillo de San Marcos, the fort built by the Spanish in 1672, which is the oldest masonry fort in the continental US.

 

 

 

 

  

Heading north from St. Augustine. we pass into Georgia after crossing the Napoleon Bonaparte Broward/Dames Point Bridges north of Jacksonville. There are sure a lot of bridges here!

We are heading for Savannah. The landscape changed drastically crossing from Florida into Georgia. Here, there are large "marshy" areas that grow grassy reeds, so the surface vegetation looks more like a field of dried grass than the green swampy areas in Florida. Hmmm, hence, the name "Savannah".

 

February 27

We visit Fort Polaski, and then head in to do a quick tour of downtown Savannah.

  

 

 

  

 

Savannah is such a beautiful city! We drove down to the waterfront, and then up through the streets with grand houses and small greens dotted through the neighborhoods.

  

 

  

 

Once it was dark, we headed back to our camp spot at the Elks Lodge, just south of downtown. The office manager told us about the best barbeque place in town, which happened to be next to a great laundromat. This was hitting on all cylinders! So, we indulged. I have never been a huge meat eater, especially pork. Now, if I see pulled pork on the menu, it's my automatic response that I order it! Phil got the rib sampler. Oh my! We are going to have some very bad habits to break when we get home. 

February 28

We head back into the Old Town in Savannah, ready for a full day on our feet. We park at the Visitor Center and talk with the gracious hosts to get the lay of the land. Trying not to over-plan our day, we decide to make it a stroll to allow Savannah to present itself to us, rather than us running through the town as if on a scavenger hunt for all the prized jewels of the city. And, we commit to walking, because we saw last night that parking, especially a 21-ft van, is not that easy in the narrow streets where we want to visit. So, off we go, north-eastward to find Savannah.

I am enamored with the southern architecture. The buildings are mostly made of wood, and it looks as though the entire town was built with the Victorian design elements in mind.

 

 

There are blocks of greenery through the neighborhoods that make the stroll so enjoyable.

  

We stop at a tea shop across from the cathedral (a service was in session so we couldn't go in the church). The tea shop specialized in Yaupon tree leaves, an apothecary herb that was used by Native Americans for just about anything that ails you. The shop owner had planted a Yaupon tree out front of her shop on the sidewalk.

 

We found a macaron bakery. Since macarons are gluten-free, I could eat anything in the shop that I wanted! We chatted with the shop owner, who said she had opened the shop in honor of her mom who couldn't eat anything with gluten. Imagine, an entire bakery just for macaroons! And, they were the best we have ever had.

  

As we approached the river, we were on the streets that were about 25 feet above the river's edge. There was one more street that ran along the riverside, down two stories. One passageway to get to it was this very rocky alley. You can't see the elevation change from this picture, but it was pretty steep to walk on!

  

Once you were down at the river's elevation, you can see the buildings built down below, where the second floors had a bridge to the upper street level. I couldn't figure out why the buildings weren't built directly adjacent to the walls behind them. Maybe to allow drainage or something.

The riverwalk below was a fanfare of restaurants, candy stores, souvenir shops, and fancy clothing stores. We checked out the first candy store. Oh my, the candied apples looked so good!

 

We stopped in a quaint little place and had a delectable lunch. For dessert, we just had a cup of coffee which was so absolutely delicious that we had to ask the waiter what kind of coffee it was. Because we drink decaf, when we have a delicious cup of coffee, we have to ask! The waiter said, "oh, it's Folger's". Phil and I looked at each other and laughed. Seriously, we've been searching for good decaf coffee, and we could have been getting Folger's all along.

 

We walked up and back along the river, enjoying the lightness in the air and the sweetness of the day.

 

Heading back up toward the Visitor's Center, we took note at a few noteworthy sites, such as

the First African Baptist Church was built in 1773. Leading up to the abolishing of slavery, the church played an important role in the Underground Railroad.

 

We loved the colorful streets, the softening effect of the trees on an urban landscape, the weather, the people we met. We loved everything about Savannah and look forward to coming back for a lengthier stay.

February 29

Leap Year! That gives us one extra day to travel! Onward to Beaufort, South Carolina: another coastal village that grabbed our hearts in its quaintness and charm. The entire downtown is registered as an historic site.

  

 

 

As we ventured further north along the South Carolina coast, the grassy wetlands became the prominent feature of the landscape. I later learned that this is called the "Lowlands", and I was never to refer to it as a "swamp" again.

 

We came to the Pinkney Chapel and Fort Frederick nearby. The Pinkney Chapel was recently named after Paster Clementa Pinkney, who had served at this chapel prior to his being elected to the South Carolina Senate and becoming Senior Pastor at the Mother Emanuel A.M.E. in Charleston. In 2015, he was killed by a white supremist terrorist in church while leading a Bible study. Notably, President Obama sang "Amazing Grace" as part of his eulogy at his funeral.

 

Fort Frederick was known for two features. One was that the walls of the fort were built from "tabby", which was cement mixed with sea shells.

 

On the grounds just inland of the fort walls is a garden of very tall trees. The oak trees throughout the garden were covered with Spanish Moss, which draped down like overdressed veils on all the trees. It was in this garden where the Emancipation Proclamation was first delivered to a cheering crowd of newly-freed slaves. We stood for a moment to hear the past voices still in the air.

 

March 1

Onward to Brays Island, South Carolina to visit cousin Tim. This is his winter abode when he's not skiing in Idaho or duck hunting in Wyoming. The area was beautiful. I did get taken aback for a moment when we passed through the entrance gate and the sign said "Brays Island Plantation". I had to ask Tim about this later, why call it a plantation? He said it was reminiscent of the lifestyle in the area that they wanted to recreate, with rolling green lawns and stately houses, clay sport and other gentlemanly ways to spend afternoons. He said the idea that it was politically incorrect to use the word "plantation" now was hogwash. Hmm. 

 

Tim showed us around the neighborhood. A beautiful inn greets visiting guests of the Island residents. Lawns are vast and trees are beautiful. But stay away from the water's edge. The ponds are full of alligators.

 

 

 

Tim said his neighbors immediately took to him because he bought the "fixer-upper" log house, and with it now fixed up, everybody's happy.

 

We took a walk out to the big lawn that Tim is hoping to turn into a polo field. He might have some hurdles convincing the Association to do this, but we'll see!

Phil caught pics of Tim and me re-enacting The Big Chill over dinner prep.

 

March 2

Tim treated us to breakfast at the Inn. How amazing!

 

While we were in town, we were hoping to see cousins Debbie and Stuart as well. Phil called Debbie, and yay! They were available to meet up for lunch!  I know that some people might ask, "did you really actually SEE Debbie and Stu?". Well, yes we did, and they send their regards to all the Mather clan.

Now we're off to Charleston, hoping to run into niece Bekah. We'd had plans to see her for lunch, but we lost contact with her suddenly. Talking with her Dad, we learned that Bekah went into labor yesterday. SURPRISE!!  

Pleased to introduce little Eleanor to the story! Bekah's doing a fantastic job becoming a Mom, and she and baby are doing great. We got to visit, and with the bonus of seeing her sister Holly and toddler Kaila Grace as well.

  

 

Needless to say, our sight-seeing agenda in Charleston was changed. But, with Bekah's recommendation, we did try the barbeque at Home Team BBQ in town. They had the absolute best ribs we've ever tasted.

 

March 3

We had a little more time to see Old Town Charleston, so off we went.

 

Charleston churches had some of the pointiest steeples I've ever seen.

 

 

We had just enough time to catch up with an RV dealership just outside of town. We discovered that we have a propane leak, so we need to look into service. On top of that, we discovered that our brand new solar panels aren't putting any juice into the coach battery either. So, we currently can't use our propane and don't have an auxiliary source to charge our coach battery other than when we are driving. No hot water, heater, or stove. Suddenly, we are limited to finding campsites that offer electricity; that's a change in our itinerary for sure. And, the RV shops where we stop to inquire don't have the parts in stock. Time to figure this out. We can order parts and have them shipped to a known location about three weeks out on our trip itinerary. Then, look for an RV repair shop in the area where we'll be in three weeks, and make an appointment. In three weeks or so, we'll be visiting Cecelia in Frostburg, MD. She said, yes, have anything we need sent to her house. Thanks Celia!

Fortunately, all the State Park campgrounds that we have seen offer sites with electricity, at half the cost of private RV parks. Thank goodness. I'm just so glad we packed our little space-heater at the last minute. Driving to our next campsite, it was snowing and hailing on us. No boondocking tonight!

March 4

Thank goodness it warmed up today! Just in time for our visit to the Ocmulgee Mounds National Historic Park Another look to our ancient past; what was life like a thousand years ago here?

 

 

 

Making tracks, we stayed at the Lake Tobesofkee Recreation Area in Georgia, and it was beautiful. Our site was right on the lake. Sunrises and sunsets are so gorgeous, and I'm glad we are outside to see them both.

March 5

Today we are going to visit the Andersonville Confederate Prisoner of War Museum. On the way, we saw this beautiful Georgian home. It belonged to Samuel Henry Rumph, the botanist that developed and produced the currently infamous Elberta variety of peaches. Mr. Rumph is considered the Father of the Georgia Peach agricultural industry. 

As we move closer to Atlanta, we brush up on our Civil War history. We are about to enter the Hallowed Ground, the places where our countrymen fought against each other and died in the effort to preserve the Union, or to secede from the Union and preserve the right to own slaves. In so many locations, cousins fought against cousins, and towns, agricultural fields, entire cities were destroyed in the wake of battles. An unfathomable 620,000 young men died fighting this war! This is more American lives than the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Mexican War, the Spanish American War, World War I, World War II, and the Korean War, combined. I wish that every single person in this country could experience this incredible loss by walking these grounds, and feel it in their heart and soul that we should never, ever enter this dangerous division ever again. 

Andersonville was a Confederate prison camp in Georgia where we now memorialize the American soldiers that lived and died as POWs both in the Civil War and all other wars that we were involved in. Here in Andersonville, conditions were abysmal, food was scarce, clothing and blankets were hard to come by, and medical help was non-existent. I had trouble walking through the exhibits, and actually had to excuse myself from the videos. War is Hell. Wars on Earth must end.

 

 

One feature of the Andersonville camp was a water spring that emerged after a particularly bad thunderstorm. Prior to this spring's existence, there was not enough drinking water for the overpacked camp, and men were dying of thirst or dysentery infections from drinking filthy water. This new emerging spring was immediately believed to be a gift from God, providing a substantial (but still not enough) water source for the POWs in the camp. This spring still flows, and a shrine was built at its headwater here.

Nearby is a cemetery holding soldiers who passed while interned at Andersonville, as well as soldiers who died in other military engagements. This and other military cemeteries stretch to the horizon sometimes. The cost of war is abominable.

 

Down in the town of Andersonville, you could see some of the old buildings that were used as Officers' meeting rooms and offices. This reminded me that the Civil War was not that long ago; wood buildings still exist that served their purpose at that time. This is NOT ancient history.

 

 

Heading out across the hills, I felt that the landscape was still weeping over the tragedies that it had witnessed.

We camped overnight at Chatahoochee Bend State Park. I allowed myself to giggle at its name. A beautiful park, and a nice place to camp.

March 6

We stopped to check out the battle site at Allatoona. This was a railroad station and road intersection next to the winding shore of Lake Allatoona, a specifically significant location in the Civil War. The trenches, some of the rail tracks, and the houses at this intersection are still standing, marking the site where nearly 2000 men fell in battle.

 

In front of this house by the driveway lamp post, you can see twisted rail on the ground. The Union Army frequently pulled up rail tracks at strategic locations and twisted them so they could not be re-used and placed back. This is a remnant of this action.

We stayed at Red Top Mountain State Park, near Atlanta. The State Parks are wonderful, and accommodating.

March 7

Onward to Kennesaw Mountain Battlefield Park. Kennesaw Mountain is the tallest hill near Atlanta. With a total elevation of 1808 feet, it offers a view of the entire Atlanta metropolitan area landscape. Phil can't get enough of these historical battlefield sites. My emotional capacity is spent being around battlefields. But, I was entertained with people-watching here at this site. Kennesaw Mountain has become a place where young couples hike for a Saturday date, a place where yoga is taught in the greens near the parking lot, and a place where hundreds of women (and some men) come, wearing fancy running shoes, headbands, and lycra shorts, and run/hike the hill as their daily routine. The parking lot was packed with Mini Coopers, BMW's, and Prius coupes. It reminded me of the Lafayette Reservoir back home. Minus the canons.

 

I'm standing on the battleground, looking over at Atlanta in the distance. No doubt why this was a pivotal location for a battle to take place.

We then drove to Canton to take a mammogram and ultrasound for something that came up, another story I won't go into, but I will say that the results were negative and a huge weight was lifted off my and Phil's shoulders. After three weeks of anticipation, I felt that I could genuinely smile again.

We stayed at Shady Grove Park, near Gainesville, on our way to Athens to see sister Cyndy. Soon we get to see Cyndy and family!! Shady Grove was really pretty, and we had a spot right on the lake. Isn't there a song or two about Shady Grove?

 

 

March 8

Our church back home employs a remote worker named Julie who runs a lot of the administrative functions of the church office. Julie has been incredibly helpful to me in running the St. Paul's Concert Series, especially since I'm trying to do it from the road right now. How fortunate that she lives right on our path between Atlanta and my sister in Athens! So, we got to meet up with Julie over breakfast in Gainesville. What a treat to visit with her in-person!

Next, we arrive in Bogart, a little suburb of Athens to visit sister Cyndy and Rick and Stephanie. Yay!

They showed us some of the cool things around town, like...

The Tree that Owns Itself: A tree that was given emancipation and compensation by its owner in his will. The tree is lovingly cared for out of a trust, and the current owners of the property (that don't actually own the tree, of course!).

 

And, at the entrance of the University of Georgia in Athens is a gateway that carries good luck, or bad luck if you pass through it incorrectly. Undergraduates needed to avoid going through it or they would not graduate (as the superstition goes). So, if you look closely, you can see the wearing of the threshold stones with years of treading around the actual gateway.

And, lots and lots of Civil War info! One thing I learned was that all Civil War memorials in the south have canons on the site facing north. I figured that made sense on the battlefield memorials, since that was the direction they were facing during the actual fighting. But Rick confirmed that even canons that are on memorial sites that are not battlefield-associated, even they face north. Interesting.

Stephanie is just starting the Lego kit of the Titanic. Rick has promised to make a big shelf to display it on, when she is done.

Rick set up a full RC tank battlefield, played out in the front lawn. Chris and the grandkids came over to visit, and the tanks went into battle.

 

We got everyone to stand still for just the few seconds needed to take a picture!

Then, as all the visits we included on this trip, this visit ended too soon. Already missing my sister, we were off to North Carolina to see the Appellations. 

March 11

We pulled into the little town of Saluda, which is as cute as can be.

 

Onward to another quaint town called Tryon to visit Phil's other cousin Tim and Jinny. This area is so absolutely beautiful!

 

Tim and Jinny live in a gorgeous house in the Blue Ridge Mountains, amongst the bears and deer. Right out the window is a tree; Jinny showed us a picture of that same view the past fall with five bears playing up in that one tree. Oh my!

We had such a delightful visit over an incredible dinner (thank you Tim and Jinny!) and they treated us to such a fancy breakfast as well. Delightful and delicious! And, we could have stayed a week talking with them over their stories and family history.

 

March 12

We have been zig-zagging our way northward, and we now are turned back toward the coast, heading for Kitty Hawk. We drive through Charlotte, NC and stop for lunch and take in some of the sites.

 

 

We stop overnight at a Harvest Host in Greenville, NC called Scarburough House. One thing we love about Harvest Hosts is that the owners usually enjoy talking with their guests, and vise versa too! We enjoyed some time around the fire, and watching the sunset.

 

March 13

Onward Eastward! Our destination today: Cape Hatteras National Seashore and the string of islands off the coast of North Carolina known as the Outer Banks. This is a land of lighthouses, bridges, and coastlines.

 

 

 

 

March 14

We are way overdue for a lay-over day. Where would be more perfect than spending time on the beach of the mid-Atlantic coast?

 

We then went to Kitty Hawk and visited the Wright Brothers' Memorial Park. This was the location where they performed the first successful airplane flight.

 

The actual runway and flight field is here, with markers showing the succession of attempts, with each of the flight distances increasing until the distance covered was considered a successful flight.

 

The museum includes an exact replica of the plane the brothers flew.

 

We then drove around Kitty Hawk to take in the scenery. The houses are delightful pastels, giving a fabulous beachy feel.

 

That night we spent with Elizabeth at her house in Kitty Hawk. We had met Elizabeth and her husband Mark in Alaska, and have been staying in touch. Mark was traveling, but Elizabeth welcomed us to stay over. We shared a delicious dinner and caught up on all the happenings with them.

In the morning, we bid our good-byes and turned back westward, making our way to Occoneechee Lake State Park. Then, onward to Meadows of Dan, Virginia, to visit our long-time friends Peter and Kathleen.

March 16

Peter and Kathleen live on an absolutely charming property with a large pond and a beautiful guest house that Peter built. Their main house is an old abode with just enough charm and whimsy to give it the stamp of authentic Peter and Kathleen style. Slightly Scandinavian but all about comfort, they develop their living spaces that just welcome you in.

 

Peter shows us his canning efforts, and pulls out a tart cherry jam to share with us.

They put us up in the guest house. What a treat. This pond is their private lake; its water is crystal clear to the bottom. If it were just a bit warmer, I would have dove in and stayed in for the entire afternoon. It's just that beautiful.

 

 

Peter took us on a tour of the perimeter of their property. Streams, hills, forest, meadow; they have everything, even a small cemetery up on the hill.

 

Many of the trees have developed a character, and Peter's daily visits bring them more alive all the time There is the recliner tree, the trees that grew their limbs together, and the yew that changed its form, like breaking loose into another tree's shape entirely.

  

March 17

Peter and Kathleen take us on an epic hike in the Rocky Knob Recreation Area, along the Blue Ridge Parkway. We are now in Appellation Trail territory, and Phil and I are pretty darn excited to see it. The weather is cold and really windy, but that didn't dampen our enthusiasm for being here!

  

 

We then went into the quaint town of Floyd, adjacent to their village of Meadows of Dan. Tonight was Bluegrass Play-Along night at the Floyd Country Store, so we dropped in and listened for a spell.

For lunch we're in the mood for barbeque, so we walked up the street to this funky park with permanent food trucks. Such an epic picnic, just incredible food and company.

We then walked around downtown Floyd, checked out the war memorials, and other sights to see.

  

Then on the way back to Meadows of Dan, we stopped at the old mill. Closed still for the season, we got the gist of the layout just by wandering the grounds.

 

Peter then pointed out some of the other featured buildings of the area. The stone church, and the new Trading Company that is being built in a crooked and very old barn.

  

 

We shared incredible meals and conversation with these dear friends, a time we'll never forget. To borrow an expression I learned from Peter actually, he and Kathleen are truly the "Count and Countess of Conviviality."

March 18

Leaving Meadows of Dan was so hard! We could have stayed a week or two, but off we went, now deeper into the Appellations. We travel along the Blue Ridge Parkway, following the Blue Ridge Mountain range, paralleling the Great Valley and Allegheny Mountains just to the west. The scenery is just spectacular, in every direction we looked.

 

 

We stopped for a short walk on the Appellation Trail, just to say that we were there.

 

The scenery just spoke for itself; I have no better words to describe the beauty.

 

 

We meander to Charlottesville, Virginia to visit a mentor and all-around favorite person, Thomas Jefferson at his homestead, Monticello. It's like we are meeting a rockstar or hero , and we're excited to be a guest in his house.

 

And here he is, to greet us at the door. He actually didn't mind my taking a selfie of us.

The Thomas Jefferson Foundation has worked hard to re-acquire many of the original furnishings, artwork, and tools that Jefferson owned while he lived at Monticello. Thus, we really felt like we were visiting in his time.

  

 

 

 

 

Upstairs in the rotunda, the space was not used for most of the year on account of it being either too hot or cold.  

 

But Jefferson's daughters liked to sneak into a little alcove formed by the exterior trim meeting the round walls of the rotunda, just to have some peace and quiet in the day. There were no stairs into this room; they'd need to climb down into the space (all the better for hiding). 

The bedrooms were in the middle floors.

 

 

 

Out on the grounds we met Mr. Jefferson, or an actor/interpreter named Bill Barker who has brought the presence of Jefferson to life for the last forty years. He scolded me for taking his picture; so sorry Mr. Jefferson!

  

Surrounding the house is the gardens and other functional rooms that were used to run the plantation (yes, slaves were involved :-( ).

 

One new display at Monticello is dedicated to one slave in particular, Sally Hemings. After years of being an open secret, she is finally revealed and presented as part of the Monticello exhibit, as an important person in Jefferson's life. Jefferson and Sally Hemings were intimate for over 40 years, and Hemings bore children whose grand-children have now been confirmed to be descendants of Thomas Jefferson. After Jefferson's wife Martha passed from childbirth complications, Jefferson never re-married, as a vow to Martha on her death bed. But, conveniently, having a relationship with a member of the help staff appeared to not be off-limits. Hemings accompanied Jefferson for 40 years, both at Monticello and abroad in France. Although he never took on the role of father with his and Hemings' children, he did arrange for their freedom upon reaching the age of adulthood. In the meantime, they were part of his property, and given lighter duties on the plantation.

This opens SO MANY questions in my mind! Take caution when you meet your hero's. They are human, after all.

 

 

 

Jefferson is buried on the property; his monument is prominent in the private cemetery.

  

 

We arranged to park at an Elk's Lodge in Charlottesville, so we drove around town for a bit and enjoyed the nice weather for the day.

The architectural style around town mimicked the early 18th century, even with the newly-built houses. I liked the effect!

 

One local fast-food restaurant that was new to us was BoJangles. They specialized in chicken. We had to try it while we were in town.  Yum! Really, not bad!

March 19

We head north for some more scenic driving in the Shenandoah National Park. The Appellation Trail parallels the Skyline Drive along the ridge of the Shenandoah Mountains.

 

 

  

We'll be staying in Shenandoah River State Park, but before we settle in, let's go check out the nearby town of Front Royal.

  

  

We found a quaint coffee shop, one of the likes we had never seen before. On the outside, it's all about coffee. On the inside, it's all about Jesus.

 

There was a comic book and game shop, so we had to dive in.

Look at all the Lego figures! I think they have them all in stock.

We chatted awhile with the shopkeeper, and learned that the power was out due to windstorms across the river from us. The schools in Luray were closed for the day on account of fire danger. It was starting to feel like California.

Continuing our walk around town, I really appreciated the whimsy and genuineness of the storefronts. Local businesses catering to local people, humble and casual art and pottery stores, and nary a fudge shop nor a souvenir shop anywhere on Main Street. The tourist industry had not taken over here yet, and it was delightful.

 

We headed for camp on the Shenandoah River. On the way, we say plumes of smoke rising from the forest across the river. It was a little unnerving because the wind was blowing the smoke in our direction. Should we vacate the area? Will we have smoke to deal with? We checked in with the campground hosts, and they said all was fine, the fires were under control. Yikes, a little PTSD I guess.

March 20

Smoke abated, we enjoy a little time on the river before moving along on our journey. We decide to take a lay-over day here to catch up on communications, RV tinkering and the like.

 

 

March 21

We continue along the scenic drive of the Shenandoah Mountains, and then turn eastward toward Centerville, and then onward to Mt. Vernon. We all know who "lives" there!

 

Like Monticello but just a little bit bigger, Mt. Vernon had a main house, beautiful gardens and orchards, and functional buildings around the house and gardens. It truly was a village in itself.  

 

Although George Washington was the infamous General, first President, and the Father of our Country, underneath it all he was a farmer. This was apparent in his tending to the grounds throughout Mt. Vernon.

 

 

He had small fenced areas dedicated to cultivating new species of trees into his orchards, and he positioned various crops on the numerous fields on the property depending on their best environment for production. Like Monticello, the farmstead surrounding the main house was a village unto itself, complete with a blacksmith, master gardeners' quarters, a medical house, a milk house, a gristmill, distillery, and various other functional spaces lined along the green lawn in front of the main house. Form and function were perfectly balanced on this plantation.

 

 

We took a tour of the main house interior. I loved the decorating; definitely colonial, but enough color to liven up the day's scenery. Starting with the line of chairs on the front porch, overlooking the immense front lawn facing the Potomac.

 

 

 

 

 

Walking the grounds, we visited Washington's tomb. Here he lays for eternity.  

 

There was also a new monument added to the memorial gardens for the enslaved members of Mt. Vernon. Very moving.

 

We walked down to the lower fields to check out what they planned to grow there. We saw a round barn that had two floors. The upper floor's floor had slats between the floorboards so you could see down to the lower ground level. We discovered that this building was used to separate wheat from its shaft; you'd throw all the thresh in on the top floor, and then lead hoofed-animals in and have them walk around and around in circles, knocking the grains free and having them fall through the slats in the floor. The shafts stay up on the top floor and you go down and gather up all the grains that fell through to the lower floor. 

 

 

I felt like I could have lived here before; this farm felt so familiar and its orchards and carved fields were as beautiful as they were functional.

 

 

 

We pulled in late to David's house in Mechanicsville, MD, where we look forward to visiting for a few days. While we're here, we're heading into Washington DC to be tourists!

March 22

David lent us his extra truck so we could drive into the city and park easier, thanks Dave!! We parked at the Washington Union Station, just blocks from Capitol Hill.

  

 Here we go!

We walked between the Capitol and the Supreme Court.

 

First, a tour of the Capitol. Meet Lady Liberty herself, and then check out the Rotunda.

  

Famous paintings cover every wall; we've seen these paintings everywhere. Well, here they are.

 

 

The Statue Room was fascinating.  

  

Once the tour was over, we asked if we could visit the gallery of the House and Senate. To do this, we'd need an invitation from our Congress rep. So, we went to the House chambers to find our Congressman, Mark DeSaulnier.  And, he was in the office, so we got to meet him. Mr. DeSaulnier is from our home town actually, and had been involved back home in local politics when Phil and I were active in various local projects. So, we had crossed paths before. But, now we are here, just the two of us with Mr. DeSalinier, remarking about some of those ancient projects, and he remembered them all! What a treat to meet up with him.

 

 After being given the tickets, we got to walk back over to the Capitol through the underground tunnels. What a treat. We were escorted by Miriam, an intern from Moraga, working with our Congressman.

 

Once back in the Capitol building, we waited about an hour to get into the gallery for the House. It was a busy session; they were voting to extend our fiscal budget. Luckily for us, the vote was wrapping up, and the budget was passed while we were in the gallery. We then visited the Senate gallery which was also busy wrapping up a vote. Since our Senators are in the news a lot more than our Reps, it was like we were seeing all the actors from our favorite TV show; there they were in person. It was really exciting. But alas, we weren't allowed to take pictures from the gallery, so we have no visuals to share here :-(.

We then walked over to the Supreme Court. If they were in session, we were not allowed to observe. But the building was fun to walk around, at least in the halls where we were allowed.

  

I checked out the gold spiral staircase, and paid my respects to Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

 

Next, we wanted to see the Library of Congress. I think this was by far the most highly decorated building. It was beautiful.

 

 

 

 

We requested to get library cards to the Library of Congress. We did wait in line for some time, but hey hey! We got our cards!

Now we were allowed into the stacks. 

 

There was just one place we still needed to see. The Map Library. After getting lost underground, we finally found the building and the right floor where the maps are kept.

  

Outside, the cherry blossoms were blooming. We walked around the Capitol to the National Mall and took in the sights.

 

 

Phil checked the clapper on the Liberty Bell in the square in front of the Union Station. It's a thing for him, he has to ring public bells and push exposed buttons. I usually dodge out for cover

Driving from the station, we got to checkout the different residential architecture. Row houses and federal style buildings were popular, giving an historic mark in time to the neighborhoods.

 

  

March 24

Today we got to hang out with David, and planned to meet up for lunch with Richard and Peter and Caryn and little Jack. What a treat! We were meeting everyone in Alexandria, where Richard lives. The waterfront restaurant was lovely. And, what a cool surprise, Luke was there too! He was in Maryland officiating a wedding for friends this week, and stopped in to visit his cousins. How cool is that! Phil and I hadn't been paying attention to the dates when we'd land in the DC area, and they coincided perfectly with Luke's plans, just by chance. Woohoo! Running into your son by chance when traveling is a blast.

After lunch, Richard led us around the waterfront and the old town of Alexandria. The history just exuded from the old brick buildings and cobblestone streets.

 

 

 

 

  

Afterward, David drove us back downtown DC, as we wanted to see the Washington Cathedral. There was a music concert being performed (Bach's Passion Requiem) and we snuck inside during the intermission. What a magnificent structure!

  

  

  

  

Around the south side of the church was a beautiful arrangement of gardens.

  

 

 

  

The buttresses in the sunset were ethereal.

 

Out on the front lawn, a young lady was having photos taken for her Quinceanera.

We returned to David's house. He mentioned that he had many Amish neighbors, so watch for horse and buggies.

March 25

We just hated to leave, and wished we could have spent a whole week with David. But, we now get to visit Nancy out in St. Michaels. On the way, we stopped in Annapolis to see the sights and pay our respects at the Naval Academy. At the harbor, a wooden ship is getting some work done on one of its masts. This is not a task that I would be cut out for.

 

Old Town Annapolis was quaint and lovely. Again, the buildings and streets gave insight to their historic reference; this is a place where history occurred, and the buildings are still here tell about it.

 

 

 

We walked around the Naval Academy, noting old and new architecture mixed as structures were rebuilt to stand another hundred years.

 

Our two favorite buildings were the Cadet's Chapel and the Ship Museum.

  

 

We loved how the Ship Museum had these life-sized displays of Captain and Crew throughout the museum.

 

 The ships were in miniature, but even so, the details in their forms made them come alive.

 

 

Onward to visit Nancy and Chelsea at St. Michaels. What a beautiful town! Nancy owns the Country Comfort Farm, an equestrian boarding and training center, just outside of town. This is such beautiful country. We went into town for dinner at the Harbour Inn Marina. What a fabulous evening, catching up with Nancy and Chelsea, with a fantastic meal and beautiful view of the harbor.

 

 

March 26

Being in and around St. Michaels, there is an essence of time standing still. Houses and buildings over a hundred years old, most being meticulously maintained in their pristine southern form. One or two might have had a new urban make-over, but these look a little out of place next to the gorgeous Victorian and Georgian beauties.  

 

 

Take this sweet little house trying to look modern, it reminds me of a little girl trying on her Mom's make-up. Cute and fun, but not refined like the neighbors.

 

Back at the farm, Nancy has a huge indoor equestrian ring and stables, and a beautiful, rustic house on the bay shore. I loved walking through the stables, talking it up with the horses. They seemed a captive audience and indulged me a conversation.

 

Chelsea shows us around the house on the shore. Just beautiful.

 

David met up with us on the farm. Here he is with two of the best of the farm crew, their Jack Russell Terriers. They were a hoot.

 

March 27

On our way off the peninsula, we stopped at Easton, a neighboring town of equal quaintness and beauty. We stopped in the Inn and enjoyed taking in the features of the lobby.

We continued southward on Route 50, crossing the Choptank River through Cambridge, and then diverted off the highway to the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge area, where we found the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Memorial. 

 

The exhibits were exquisite and heart-wrenching, as we recall this time in history through the stories displayed.

Continuing our drive, we're now headed back to route 50, for Ocean City and the Assateague Island National Seashore. Throughout this area, I can't get used to how much water there is in the landscape. And, everything is so very green!

 

 

Assateague Island is inhabited by wild horses that roam freely. They are shorter than your average Mustang, and slightly heavier set, which is said to be on account of their biological adjustments to feeding on marsh plants that live in sea water. To me, they look like cute chubby ponies. They wander into the campgrounds and meander throughout the island following their own agendas. We were lucky to see them right in our campsite!

 

  

The weather was so cold and rainy, and the wind howled throughout our stay on the island. Brrr!

 

 

March 28

In the morning, we headed into West Ocean City and indulged in a hot breakfast at the Breakfast Cafe. Good food, hot coffee, and a warm room, just what we needed to get out of the cold. When we came in, we were the only customers. Then, about five minutes later, the entire place filled up. Good timing on our part.

 ......

We are now heading back to Easton to meet up with my cousin Wendy, with Felicia, Matt, and Alice. They suggested that we rendezvous at the Amish Country Market, which is an incredible place to see. Imagine a place as big as Costco, but filled with interesting farm equipment, arts and crafts items, furniture, clothing, and loads of specialty foods. Mostly comfort foods actually. Incredible bakery, fabulous cheeses, and the butcher counter was out of this world.

 

We roamed around the store, enjoying all the entertaining things to look at as we visited and caught up on years of being apart. Then we were hungry! So, we went through the food service counters and each got their favorite foods. Phil got a turkey leg, I went for the meat loaf with mashed potatoes, and we all enjoyed fabulous cheeses and desserts, and were stuffed full afterward. But, what a great visit we had, what a fun get-together!

Afterward, we drove back to Country Comfort Farm with Nancy and David for a quick "Hello" and to crash for the night. We were planning our next few days in the area, and heard that the Francis Scott Key Bridge had been hit by a cargo ship and collapsed. We were planning on traveling into Baltimore to visit Fort McHenry; another route into town was needed now.  

March 30

The cherry blossoms were in full bloom along the Patapsco River shoreline at Fort McHenry, giving the grounds a beautiful framing around the lush green grass.  

The fort was intriguing, as the rooms were well appointed with period furniture and household items, and the old cannons were on display, complete with pivoting trollies on the corner towers and all.

 

 

  

All I could think was, "if only I were more of a history buff..." I love all of history except where it involves war. Since wars are so prominent in making history, you can't study history without 90% of the subject matter being about wars. I will say, Phil was in his element, a total history buff, wars and all, traversing across the centuries with each and every artifact on display. For me, I was more intrigued in staring out at the remnants of the Francis Scott Key bridge across the river. What an eerie site that was.

The cargo ship was still stuck in the middle of the wreckage, as huge metal framing stuck out of the water randomly, all twisted and broken. The span of the bridge that had fallen was lying in the water across the river, blocking the entrance to the entire industrial harbor area in Baltimore. What a catastrophe. How fragile things are!

We're now heading westward to Frostburg, MD to visit my high school pal, Cecelia. Frostburg is a little town with a train depot, an old hotel, and hills covered with brick houses. Quaint describes it well, as it has not yet succumbed to the trendy tourist make-over that splashes color and sparkly glass fixtures over an authentic backdrop of brick and cobblestone, and plants coffee shops and trinket stores on every street corner. Here in Frostburg, there are yarn shops with knitting circles going in the back room, and small drug stores, and small churches with really, really tall pointy steeples. And, not too many cars, and easy parking in front of any spot you were aiming for.

 

There is the Braddock Stone, an early colonial road marker with historic significance, now displayed downtown.

  

There is an old hotel that has been renovated, mostly just polished up with its style of an 1850's hotel still intact. 

  

 Talk about history! In the basement, you can see the town jail, with the cells polished up with a fresh coat of paint.

It was so fabulous to visit with Cecelia; we talked so fast that we were finishing each other's sentences, talking nonstop for fear that we weren't going to get all our sharing in before we had to leave town. It must have been pretty entertaining for Phil to watch us talk in that frenzied state for two days solid.  

  

Our next stop is Gettysburg, but we stop at Fort Ritchie along the way. I need to catch up with the blog here, so I'm going to post photos with just captions. I'll come back and fill in the details later. Have patience <3.

  

Beautiful rolling hills, and everything is green, green, green.

  

Fort Ritchie, and rows of barracks/housing.

Gettysburg Museum and around town.

Battlefields at Gettysburg. Very serene, like history was hanging in the air as thick as gravy.

 

The agony of fallen soldiers hides behind the eerie silence overlaying the land. Monuments to the troops are scattered throughout the hillsides in these acres and acres of hallowed ground.

 

Along the way through the "Burg" region of Mcconnellsburg, Fannettsburg, Mercersburg, Warfordsburg, Doylesburg, Andersonburg, Landisburg, Elliottsburg, Hollidaysburg, Claysburg.

 

 

The town of Bedford, the home of the William Penn family.

  

Lots of rain --- the riverbanks are at top capacity.

  

We stop by the Flight 93 National Memorial (911 Monument) near Shanksville, PA.. A modern-time war zone, we find ourselves again looking over the silent green pastures masking the terror and tragedy of an unspeakable event.

 

Todd Beamer, one of the passengers that helped overtake the hijacker pilots, was from our neighboring town of San Ramon. This really hist home.

 

While we were in the museum, it started to snow.

 

 

 

The "Tower of Voices", a Memorial Bell Tower

   

We stayed at a KOA in Washington, PA, where we got hailed on. Very loud in a camper van!

  

We're now off to Pittsburg, to visit Laurie and Mary, Phil's cousins. Rev. Laurie is very involved with the Trinity Anglican Seminary in Ambridge, for which he is project-managing the repurposing and refurbishing a nearby stone church into the new Trophimus Center, an extension of the worship and lecture space for the seminary. We got to take a peek at the renovations. Amazing space.

 

 

Laurie took us up on the rooftop for the birds' eye view.

We then toured around the township of "Old Economy". History is rich here! And, it's not all about war, thankfully.

 

 

 

Back at Laurie and Mary's, we indulged in visiting and basking in the conviviality of our hosts. What lovely people, and we're fortunate enough that they are related to us!

 

 

Cutting through West Virginia, we stop in to see the Grave Creek Mound Historical Site, in Moundsville, south of Wheeling, WV.. It's easy to find, directly across from the Old West Virginia Penitentiary.

 

 

 

Panoramic view from the top of the mound.

Focused in on Moundsville skyline.

 

Heading west...we have an eclipse to catch in Indiana!

Skyline of Columbus, Ohio. Just driving through!

 

Good-bye Ohio, Hello Indiana

We pull into our Harvest Host camp spot, which is a church parking lot in Bloomington, the home of the University of Indiana. Bloomington happens to fall in the absolute center of the sun's eclipse path. So, here is where we will experience the solar eclipse. The weather looks ominous, and the forecast for tomorrow is iffy, with cloud cover. But, catching a rainbow in the sky, we hope for the best. Also, check out this woodpecker, checking us out!

 April 8 - Eclipse Day! Not a cloud in the sky! How lucky are we!!! We even found some eclipse glasses at the local liquor store. All the stores from Pittsburg to here were out, but right here in Broomfield, they had just what we needed.

 

  

It got pretty dark, for five full minutes. This was an awesome experience. We hold our breath and take it all in.

As the sun returned, the birds started chirping as if it were morning. It could have felt like morning, except that our shadows were not long from a low sun. They were short, from a noonday sun. The littlest things clue you in that what you see may not be quite what it appears to be.

The next morning, we were awoken by this loud roaring sound. Looking outside, it was a hot air balloon launching nearby.

 

Now, we head into Indianapolis, to visit Marcie, Phil's cousin. Some of the older homes in a beautiful neighborhood lure me to take their picture.

 

 

  

And look at Marcie's house! It is absolutely darling!

We loved visiting with Marcie, as she shared all sorts of Mather family drawings and photos.

  

 

 

Marcie took us to lunch at a spectacular hardware store in town. The food was delicious, and the product displays were as beautiful as an exhibit in a museum.

 

 

We then headed westward on I-70 into Illinois, and stopped to check out the World's Largest Wind Chime. I think they were also going for the record of World's Largest Rocking Chair also.

We enjoyed the scenery as we made our way south to St. Louis, Missouri. 

Finally, the famous landmark came into view.

 

We had to go up into the Arch, the Gateway to the West.

Up the tiny elevator, to the top of the arch.

 

 

The view was spectacular. They had these little windows where we could look out.

 

 

We then walked around downtown, through the Sculpture Garden.

   

 

 

  

  

 

 

We drove out to the avenues following a referral to great barbeque. It was in a shared space with a bar and a fortune teller. Very eclectic.

 

 

We stayed at the Elk's Lodge in town.

 

Next day, the Saint Louis Farmers' Market! One of the great markets that we've visited.

  

 

 

Then, lunch at Bogart's Smoke House, highly recommended.

We spent the night in Meramec State Park. Went swimming in the lake! Nice respite from the city camping in St. Louis. Lots of deer!

 

  

 

Onward to Jefferson City, the Capitol of Missouri.

 

 

 

We got to sit in on a bill being voted in, in the House. Listening in on a rowdy discussion.

 

The Senate was much calmer.

Love the architectural touches in the Capitol buildings!

 

 Even the bathrooms were fancy.

There were historical and cultural displays in the ground floor.

 

Is this not the weirdest teacup??

 

Heading westward, we stayed at Long Branch Lake State Park.

 

A storm moved in the next morning.

We stayed at Locust Creek, and hiked in to see the Covered Bridge.

  

  

We had started noticing a lot of Barn Art and Hex signs. Here were a few guides that we found, describing the patterns of Barn Art (geometric patterns inside a square) versus Hex Signs (always contained inside a circle).

   

We pulled into Emporia to fix a headlamp, and check out the scenery.

Next, the open plains of Kansas.

We visited Fort Larned National Historic Site