Days 23 & 24: Into Southern Virginia

Thursday, May 26 Addendum: There were those of you that heard about a tornado watch where we were.  Thursday there was one, but it did not interrupt our evening with friends because the storm was to the northeast of where we were.  It was interesting though that regularly scheduled programming on television was cancelled and there was constant weather coverage because of the area involved.  Friday morning at about 5 Chuck woke up to thunder and then thought he heard it raining--which it did do in great quantities.  Karen had ear plugs in and didn't hear a thing.

Friday, May 27:  We spent the day with our good friends Rick and Sue and their son Billy (Will).  It was just a day of listening, eating, resting, and playing cards.  This was the first day that the temperature was below 90--in fact it was below 80.  Rick and Sue have a very nice deck and we were able to sit and enjoy the sound of birds and the wind in the trees--so delightful after over 2 weeks of very hot and humid weather.  Many of you prayed for Billy (he spent 7 months in the hospital--7 weeks on a ventilator, with Covid).  He is making progress and was able to be off oxygen for 15 minutes and not have his blood oxygen go below 90.  This is so very good.  He is able to walk some without a walker.  His goal is to be back at work by the January 2023.

Saturday, May 28: We traveled from Charlotte, NC to near Roanoke, VA.  After lunch we found a waterfall close and decided to check it out.  The name of the falls was Cascades.  We followed a wonderful rushing river for just over a mile.  The hike was up rock stairs, through mud, running water on the trail, and tree roots on the very narrow trail.  It was fun but not for the faint of heart (400-foot elevation gain).  But a little over a mile in, we knew we would not be able to get all the way to the falls--over a mile further.  Chuck went down the way we had come.  Karen went a little further, was able to cross a bridge and be on the other side--she had to cross a 10-foot, ankle deep, stream with big rocks and fallen trees.  But then there was a wide trail with gravel all the way back to the parking lot-with the exception of about 5 places where 
there was water across the trail.  Having the sound of rushing water for that two miles did the soul good.  This is a hike we would do in its entirety if we were a little better prepared and had more time.  It was really very breathtaking.  In fact the part of Virginia we traveled today was all very eye appealing.  There were many tree-covered hills and traffic wasn't heavy.  The roads were like Highway 58 over Willamette Pass, curvy, but decent.

Day 22: Family and Friends

What a way to start the third week of our cross-country trip--reconnecting with an uncle who now lives in Columbia, South Carolina.  Karen had not seen him in 60 years!  Circumstances were such that Karen and her brother and sister lived in Kansas with this uncle (Jim) and Aunt Ruth Ann for about 5 months.  There were many incidents recounted--all good.  Uncle Jim could drive his big Buick with his knees; he was principle, history teacher and basketball coach of a small local high school; he won a talent contest by singing and dancing, he helped Karen's brother with a science fair project.  It was certainly different than living with a single mom.  As for the present, we just got to know each other a little bit.  Uncle Jim is in the process of starting a college in Guinea, West Africa, which is quite a feat considering the distance and energy--far more energy than we have, and we are not 89.  As for the future, it will be interesting to see if we will continue to communicate.

Then it was off to Charlotte, North Carolina to see our friends Rick and Sue.  We just hung out and visited for the late afternoon and evening.  We ate and played cards.  Also visited with their son, Billy (Will), who spent 7 months in the hospital with Covid.  He is staying with Rick and Sue while he continues to heal.  All are so thankful he is alive and working so hard to regain what was lost by being so sick for so long.  Many of you reading this prayed for this family.

As we approach Virginia and spend time with family our posts may be intermittent.

Day 21: A Fort and Several Churches

The drive from Savannah, Georgia to Charleston, South Carolina was pleasant after getting through the port area of Savannah.  We have never seen so many containers piled on top of each other.  And at one intersection there were about 20 long haul trucks coming out of the docks both ways ever stop light.  Thankfully they were going a different direction than us.  There are disadvantages to avoiding freeways!

We arrived in Charleston at 11am which was an awkward time for what we wanted to do.  We had tickets to take a boat and land tour of Fort Sumpter for 1pm.  This didn't give us enough time to do anything else (the USS Yorktown aircraft carrier was right there) and there weren't any places to eat.  This did not deter us though--we ate out of our stash in the car, straightened up the car some, and looked at static displays of different big war guns.

The tour of Fort Sumpter was interesting, but the boat ride-which was 45 minutes each way-didn't give much information.  The fort itself was also interesting and we were thankful that a park ranger gave a very thorough history upon arrival and before we wandered around.  It was good to know that what the fort looks like today is not at all what it was like during the Civil War.  It was pretty much destroyed at the beginning of the war when the Confederates took it from the Union in 1861.  It was rebuilt only to be destroyed by the Union when they recaptured it in May 1865. So thankful for the history lesson.

After arriving back at the car, Karen wanted to go into Old Charleston.  The streets are incredibly narrow in the old part of town, but we found a parking spot and started walking in the "shopping" section.  Karen spied a church steeple and off we went to see it up close and personal.  We had put 38 minutes in our parking meter so we walked and looked at, and took pictures of 5 churches in that 38 minutes.  We also walked 1 1/4 miles in that time.  We treated ourselves to some wonderful Freddo gelato when we got back to the car--there was a little shop adjacent to where we parked.  We would recommend Freddos if there is one near you.

Found a laundromat less than a mile away (on a very narrow street) and now we have clean clothes again!  Then off to a grocery store for the second time in two days to get deli-dinner to take back to the room.  Aren't we the fancy eaters?  Didn't get to our hotel until almost 7:30--late for us and we were very tired.  

Fun day--got sun burned.

Day 20: Nature and History in Georgia

How many of you that read this have heard of Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.  We did but could not  quite remember why.  Well, we went there this morning and were very thankful we did.  The "Swamp" is the size of Rhode Island, or about five and one-half times the size of Klamath Lake Oregon, and has three entrances (we only did the main entrance - east side).  It is the headwaters of the Suwannee and St. Mary’s Rivers.

What we learned about:

ALLIGATORS:  The males have a mating call.  That they fight for their territory and the females in their territory.  We saw the heads of a few and two swimming but not close to the boat.  We did see a baby alligator on the road of a scenic drive we took.

WATER: It is black because of the peat on the bottom.  The water is only about 5 1/2' deep.  It is incredibly still water.  The reflections are perfect and your eyes can play tricks on you and make you think you are looking at something 3 dimensional--very difficult to explain.  

FLORA: Many yellow and white water lilies--very pretty.  Several species of carnivorous plants--yes, ones that eat bugs. Spanish moss everywhere, but is not Spanish or moss, but a type of air plant.  Part of the time there weren't many trees (cypress and pine) because of a fire in 2007.

HISTORY:  There are only a few man-made features in the entire park--the waterway we were on, and a long abandoned homestead of the Chesser family.  The canal was hand dug the beginning of the 1900's in order to try to "drain the swamp".  It didn't work.

That was nature, then there was a quick lunch because we wanted to know about what we heard was an "underground" fort.  Well, it wasn't really underground, but it was still interesting.

Ft. McAllister (South of Savannah)

FORT MC ALLISTER--named after the father of the man who donated the land for the Confederate
fort which was on the Ogeechee River.  The "underground" parts were mainly ammunition storage and an infirmary which was also used by the officers during naval battles.  There were tall, thick soil berms around the fort that provided more protection from enemy shelling than did wood or stone walls used in other forts. The Union Army did capture this Confederate fort in December 1864.

KAREN'S PONDERINGS:  War is so cruel.  People thinking something is so important that they are willing to kill (or have others kill for them) to get what they want.  It is too much for me to comprehend in light of what is going on between Russia and Ukraine.  My two scriptures for this are: "Do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God."  Micah 6:8.  And "Be kind, tenderhearted, forgiving one another just as God in Christ Jesus forgave you."  Ephesians 4:32.  But I know that some people don't understand and some DON'T WANT to understand.  It makes we sad.

Day 19: Go With The Flow

Today was going to be just a driving day and seeing whatever there was that caught our attention.  We knew, even though it was several miles longer (for you mileage people), we wanted to follow the coast line up Florida.  The highway is A1A.  We did take I-75 north for a little while before cutting over to the coast.  We were just taking whatever road that would get us to the Atlantic Ocean and, lo and behold, when we got to A1A we were at the Daytona Beach Boardwalk.  It wasn't very crowded so we easily found parking and walked around.  We actually had to feed a parking meter--do you remember what those are?  Karen got her feet wet in the Atlantic YAY!  We were not impressed with Daytona Beach Boardwalk area--it didn't seem very clean, shops were questionable and there were so many huge hotels.  There were Ormand Beach and Flager Beach that seemed more like our type of place--not as touristy.

We decided to drive more on A1A and were driving right along the ocean.  

There are differences between the Florida and Oregon coasts.  

In Florida: 

• You drive at almost water level, it is flat and straight 
• There is a little vegetation and then just water
• Houses and businesses right up to the beach sand
• Numerous places to access the beach.  

Oregon coast: 

• The highway is full of curves and hills
• The coastline and ocean are peppered with huge rocks
• Waves crashing against the rocks is spectacular to watch
• There are very few structures of any kind
• Limited beach access--some require descended to the beach via a trail

Off we went to St. Augustine.  Our first stop was at a historic lighthouse.  There was an admission free to visit, but was discounted as the 164 foot tall lighthouse was closed for renovation.  There were several other buildings in the museum complex that offered a glimpse of the area's history. 

We had our anniversary lunch (a day late) at a very nice resort restaurant on a harbor--Conch House.  We ate inside but there was outside seating that was on different levels, like in little wall-less huts.  Our shrimp dishes were very tasty--worth the wait.

We decided to explore a "Mission" but it didn't turn out to be what we thought.  It had very beautiful grounds that we walked through but not the history we were expecting.

St. Augustine is a 'boat city.'  With rivers, bays, and the Atlantic at their doorstep we saw boats everywhere we looked.  Not aluminum skiffs we oft think about, or even fast ski boats, but large cruisers, yachts, and sailboats. 

Then we followed A1A a while longer.  This time we saw vegetation on both sides of the road (grasses mainly) but our GPS showed there was water on either side on the grasses--we just couldn't see it. 

We did drive some of the beltway around Jacksonville.  At 3:30pm the traffic was beginning to get quite thick, and slow.  It was yet a reminder to us of why we avoid larger cities.  We left Florida behind as we entered Georgia. 

All is all a very nice day of just "going with the flow."

Day 18: 35 Years!

Stop for a minute and remember, if you are married, how you spent your last anniversary.  If you are single, think about the last "important" date you celebrated.  

Now you get to hear about our 35th wedding anniversary.  As it was when our marriage began on May 22, 1987, we spent time at a Calvary Chapel.  Thirty-five years ago is was a Friday evening, and our wedding.  Today is was a Sunday morning spent worshipping our LORD--who has been the 3rd strand of our marriage these many years.  Pastor Mike taught from Galatians 3 and Genesis 12 about blessings.  God loves us.  When you love someone you want them to know of that love.  God demonstrated and continues to demonstrate His love by blessings us.  Do we have faith to believe that and walk in that assurance. Calvary Chapel Tampa was very friendly and kind to us.

After church, while splitting a chicken parmesan sub sandwich, we decided to drive to the waterfront in Tampa and go to a museum and learn some history of the area.  It was 17 miles, 45 minutes to get there (and that was on the interstate on a Sunday afternoon - not a workday commute time) .  When we arrived we were greeted by a myriad of police cars, blocked off streets and 96 degree heat (real feel 102).  Well, good news, it wasn't a crime spree that caused the commotion but a hockey game.  There was no parking within a mile of where we wanted to go, and far too hot for us to walk.  So we drove back to our hotel.  Interesting note:  Amalie Arena, where the Tampa Lightning play their games, has a 3-story parking garages restricted to the EMPLOYEES of the arena.  Had never heard of an employee exclusive parking garage for an event arena.

We strategized and came up with tentative plans for the next week.  If all goes well, we will be in Bristow, Virginia with the Ritters next Sunday, May 29.  

Our anniversary dinner was a Subway sandwich that we split. Looking back at pictures for the day we've had similar dinners:  last year it was take-out Chinese, the year before food truck entrees, and ten years ago it was BBQ in styrofoam boxes served Hawaiian style on Kuai.

There are no pictures as we didn't do anything, other than drive, and eat, after church.  We are just thankful for being able to be here.

Day 17: Over the Rivers and Through the Deciduous Woods

Pretty drive from Tallahassee to Wesley Chapel, northeast of Tampa.  Around Inglis we saw a sign for Withlacoochee Gulf Preserve and thought we should go see if we could see an alligator.  Well, the preserve was closed even though a sign stated it would be open.  We drove out to Bird Creek Beach and looked around.  We had gone over a small river going out so stopped on the way back and walked down to the water hoping to see an alligator.  It was beautiful--a number of birds singing, the air and water so still--very peaceful, quiet, and humid.  But no alligator.

You see what Chuck did find.  I don't know of many people who would have seen this little guy as it was about four inches head to tail.  We think he is an alligator "wanna be".

There were many large puddles of water in the region.  Apparently, there was a large storm last night that dumped much rain.  There were also tree branches and palm fronds on the road, so we suspect there was quite a bit of wind as well -- maybe something like we encountered near Hot Springs, Arkansas a week or so ago.

It really appears that Florida is built on a large sand bar.  Everywhere we go we see sand--along the streets (especially where there is construction), in yards, along riverbanks... everywhere.  As we drove south there were mile upon mile where nothing could be seen but the road ahead and trees to the sides.  The undergrowth was incredibly thick.  The brush grows well in this sandy, tropical environment.  If Lewis and Clark would have encountered this type of ground cover the Pacific Northwest may not have been found yet.

We purposely chose Westley Chapel because it was several miles from Tampa.  We had in mind something like maybe Oakley, California or Medford.  NO WAY.  There are six traffic lanes in each direction in most places--3 lanes for left turns.  Incredible.  I really can't think of what to compare the traffic to.  Way different!

We had a running conversation today about tolls.  One of us is so against tolls--no transponder, maybe not having correct change, etc.  The other one thinks the worst anyone can do is pull us over.  The one toll road we saw--one thinks we were on the toll road, and one doesn't.  The road turned from 4 lanes to 2 (like Oregon's US-97).  If it was toll--the one sign we saw stated they charge by license plate--we may get a bill in the mail later (the vacation that keeps on taking).  It was fun bantering back and forth.

Day 16: A Walk Around the Cascades--Park That Is

After a longer drive this morning--and entering Florida, and an hour later, the Eastern Time Zone--we arrived at Tallahassee at about 12:30pm. We did finish our 3rd audiobook.  After eating a non-descript lunch we went to Cascades Park--and we thought the only Cascades were a mountain range in Oregon.  The park was pretty, and the perimeter is 1 mile and signs along the way tell of fitness activities to do while in the park.  As you can see, there is a waterfall.  We may never see another one like it.  There are a series of ponds connected by a "stream". Most of the plant life here is not familiar to us as it has been throughout the South. The humid, tropical climate makes for a very different mix of plants and animals.   An unusual and fun find in the heart of the city.

We really prefer the state and US highways over interstates, but this was an 'interstate' kind of day. We did have quite a time getting to the park, as there are a number of turns that needed to be executed in the proper order -- a challenge when there are many other lunch-time drivers in the mix.  We also attempt to avoid 'big' cities--Tallahassee reminds us of those reasons - traffic, traffic, and traffic, are the top three reasons!

Nap, laundry and a call to our sister-in-law in Michigan rounded out our day.  We can't believe the crazy weather in every part of the country, but we are thankful that our God know all about it.

There was one more entry for the mileage challenge.  Now the waiting begins for you all.

Thanks for hanging out with us.

Day 15: The Day and Ways of War

Ammunition rails

We started early today even though we were going to cover less than 100 miles as the crow flies.  We wanted to get to Dauphin Island early, but it was 9:30 by the time we arrived.  The island is the site of Fort Gaines which was used both during the War of 1812 and the Civil War.  We had to keep our minds compartmentalized when reading the informational signs.  The fort was used mostly for land fighting in the War of 1812 but had a major sea battle during the Civil War--Battle of Mobile Bay, August 5, 1864.  This battle pitted Confederate Commander David Farragut against Union Commander Franklin Buchanan.  Much very interesting history.  The way ammunition was transported was innovative as was the use of "disappearing" guns.  Fort Gaines is on one end of the island and there is a public beach on the other end--about 6 miles between the two.  There is a 3.3 mile car bridge over water to get to the island.  As we were driving Chuck said, "I wonder when the last time a car from Oregon was on this road."  Well, at the public beach we parked next to a pickup with Oregon plates--too funny.

Dauphin Island is about 15 miles long with the western portion quite narrow.  It's average elevation is only seven feet above sea level.  Many of the homes are built on tall stilts to avoid being flooded during periodic storms. It very much reminded us of the parable in Matthew 7 about the foolish man building his house on sand.

Had lunch in Mobile. The food was quite good, but the service was slow, and the atmosphere was too much like a Dennys. 

Then off to the USS Alabama.  The movie telling about the ship was very informative.  For one, the Alabama was a battle ship whose mission was to "escort" other types of ships and defend them.  We did not know this.  Also, the Alabama spent a lot of time in port for different reasons and on "training exercises".  We thought of your family members and friends that served in the Navy and thought the saying "hurry up and wait" would be appropriate.

There were three different self-guided tours of the ship: 

1.  Out side mainly focusing on guns and different bridges
2.  Warrant officers and their quarters, weapons storage, engineering and medical 
3.  Officers and their quarters and where they would be at any time during a mission.  

16 inch Ammunition

We believe the Navy feeds their guys on ship very well from what was displayed on the self-guided tour.  There were a number of food prep and dining areas.  We walked up and down and all around for an hour and a half.  Actually, got lost one time--couldn't find the arrows pointing to the next information area.  It was a wonderful tour but really needed an entire day.

Three wars from 1812 to 1945 were looked at.  History is so great.

To the room early. Pooped from all the walking.  Just as we didn't expect the casinos in Biloxi, we didn't expect the amount of very nice tall buildings in Mobile--but we did not see an casinos.

Day 14: We Made it to the Gulf of Mexico

The last two days we were on the banks of the Mississippi and today the Gulf of Mexico--not water FALLS but definitely water.  It was just a morning of driving--pretty and very uneventful other than crossing the Louisiana/Mississippi border numerous times.  Got to Biloxi in time for lunch.  Yelp had a number of good reviews for Parrain's Jambalaya Kitchen.  When we arrived there were a couple of cars in the parking lot but the "open" sign wasn't on.  We decided to try it anyway.  Well, there was no glass in the door--just the push bar..  We asked and found out the glass had been broken some time during the night and someone stole the whole cash register.  It was a cute little place and we ordered a sampler plate.  We got 8 ounce bowls each of chicken and sausage jambalaya, chicken gumbo, crawfish etouffee, and red beans and rice.  It was all very good and because we split a lunch we decided to have white chocolate bread pudding with beignets on top--so delicious.  Had a nice conversation with the owner and his wife.

Needed to walk some of our lunch off so we found Gulf Island National Seashore in Ocean Shores, Mississippi, just east of Biloxi.  There was a good little information center with lots of interactive displays that told about the animals and habitat of the area.  Then we found a little walking trail that could have had some wildlife but we didn't see any.  Along the road there were a couple of alligator viewing areas and one croc decided to "show his face" but nothing else.  We will be happy with that but hope for more tomorrow.  It was very warm so our 30 minute walk was a great plenty.  A man stopped his blue Honda CRV in the middle of the road and just began talking to us.  Had many stories to tell and said the water was a little high for alligators to surface and sun themselves.  He reminded us of a friend with many experiences at home.

It was a 20 minute ride back to Biloxi and we cooled off during the drive. We then found a place on the sea shore, walked down and admired the gulf.  It is certainly not like the Oregon coast: the water is warm with small waves.  There were quite a few playing in the water with their jet skis, others just sunning themselves and enjoying the (intense) heat. We didn't get our feet wet today but may tomorrow... maybe.  

We purposely got a room "with a view" and a balcony just one block off the beach.  Well, the view is of a huge casino.  I didn't realize how big gambling was here in Mississippi.  It truly is like a mini Vagas--probably 8 casinos or more with names straight from Nevada (Harrahs, Golden Nugget to name two). Bummer.  The room is clean and nice. We'll test the wifi in the near future as we join CCKF for the Wednesday night service.

Day 13: History According to Locals

Our minds are full of information and our souls are stirred by information.  We started today with a trip to the Natchez, MS visitor center where we caught "Rev's Country Tours".  Rev (Pastor Tracy Collins) took us back to the Native Americans in Mississippi in the 1200's, along with the French, Spanish, and British, the Civil War and the beginning of reconstruction.  Natchez is certainly a very unique city with an over 50% African American population.  Many black "firsts" came from there - first black mayor, black congressman and more.  Another geographical feature is that Nachez is on a bend in the river so viewers can see 7 miles up the river and 7 miles down the river.  So much more!!

We needed something to eat and time to "digest" what we had learned.  Found a cute little barbeque place with good food--even got a drink cup for a souvenir.  On our tour with Rev we found out about an antebellum (pre war) home that is managed by the National Park Service--the Melrose House.  

Melrose House, Natchez

We went to the "estate" and spent a little over an hour on a self-guided walking tour that told about many aspects of the estate including the laundry, kitchen (separate building), cisterns, stables, orchards and even the latrines, and more.  We heard over and over that this was an "estate" NOT A PLANTATION.  A 2022 equivalent would be someone who is so rich that they have expensive houses in several different locations. The actual ranger-guided tour (an hour) was just for the house and the over $5,000,000 worth of original antiques in the house.  Can't believe the way some people lived. 

It was 90+ degrees when we finished our tour of Melrose but it was only 3pm--too early to go back to our room.  We found an old city cemetery (very well maintained) and explored.  There are people buried there that have been dead for over 200 years.  Hard to understand, especially since the history we're accustomed to in the west doesn't begin until after that.

We returned to our room and rested--the heat and humidity did us in!

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Day 12: Louisiana - a Place of Contrasts

This is Karen and I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would sit in a nice hotel room, looking out over the Mississippi River and watch an almost full moon rise.  It is wonderful--so very blessed.

We arrived in Louisiana and returned to straighter and flatter roads--and corn, some already four to five feet tall.  It is amazing how many corn fields are alongside the highways in Louisianna!!!  So often we saw logged stubble just opposite the corn fields.

We ate lunch in Monroe at "Big Mamma's Fine Foods"--VERY southern, very interesting, and very popular.  Maybe something like a southern cuisine North Shore in Klamath Falls.  We then drove here to Vidalia, LA.  After a walk in the 90+ degree afternoon heat, we rested, and then made a recon trip to Natchez, MS--just across the Mississippi.  We will explore some history tomorrow in Natchez. The theme song to the long-ago Maverick TV program keeps coming to mind.

As we have driven through Louisiana a few observations to note:

• Churches are very prevalent, far out numbering bars on the state highways we have driven. Baptist having the highest number by far.
• We have not seen homeless anywhere.
• A great dichotomy in houses -- very poor next to large newer multi-story homes.
• Brick is a very popular exterior for homes, new and old.
• Even in some out-of-the-way small towns Verizon has 5G cell service - far better than at home!
• Intersections seldom are just two streets coming together at 90 degree angles!
• As we've walked about, people will stop and talk - one of the friendliest places so far.

Day 11: His Word and His Weather

This is the day the LORD has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24

Because it is the LORD's day, and there is a Calvary Chapel near by, and we like to fellowship with believers, we went to church and there met a great bunch of people who love to worship.  The teaching was by Assistant Pastor Patrick Steel.  Karen was thrilled with the text from Ezekiel 47 and 48 because the ladies Bible study is in the last part of Ezekiel also.

Buckstaff Bathhouse

We visited with several people.  One man, Bill, strongly suggested we visit Hot Springs since we were so close--just 30 miles away. So, after church we did laundry and washed the car (have to get chores done before playing).  Arrived in Hot Springs about 2:45 and walked the main street of old town.  Blocks of "bath houses". The water coming out of the ground is 134 degrees so elite people built places to take baths--quite a rage at one time it seems.  Hot Springs is also a National Park, second oldest in the United States. We ate at Ohio Club (the oldest continuously running bar in town--opening in 1905) with quite a gangster and prohibition history.  

We took a walk but the anticipated "severe thunderstorm" was beginning so our exploration was cut short.  As we got back to the car the wind was picking up and rain beginning to fall.  The temperature dropped from 90 to 75 in less than 5 miles, and bottomed out at 68 degrees.  But the wind swirled and it literally rained in sheets.  

When we think of thunderstorms at home, we think a clap or two of thunder, some rain, and maybe hail.  Not here!  Torrential rain, gusty wind, and even hail accompanied the lightning.  Visibility was down to 30 feet.  Almost continuous lightning and thunder the entire 30 miles back to the motel. It was quite a joy driving (we're being facetious here) through the storm on a freeway with many construction zones and detours. Dips in the road filled with rain water would pull the car from one side to the other along with creating momentous fans of spray.  Traffic on the 60-mph posted freeway was travelling 45 mph most of the time, and that seems a bit fast.  At 4:30pm it was dark enough for street lights to come on and headlights be required.

We are thankful for this day that the LORD made.  Great word and worship, extreme weather--at least for us.

Day 10: From Straight to Crooked

Great day today!!! We went from very straight roads yesterday to not straight at all today.  It is amazing how that can happen but it did when we went from Missouri to Arkansas.  Arkansas is much more hilly and all the hills are full of green trees.  In the Klamath Falls area the trees are just starting to leaf out but here they are in full leaf.  As we were driving along it struck us that Arkansas looks a lot like it did in Maine.  There really is no "bear land" at all--it is solid green.  There were places on the road where the trees on either side met over the top of the road and it was like driving in a tunnel.

I digress.  There were more turns in the roads we drove today than in our entire trip.  God is so creative.  How can the terrain be so free of trees, and hills that need to be navigated around, to endless trees on countless hills?

We got to where the GPS said Highway 123 Waterfall was supposed to be--this was about 12:30.  To get there we traveled on "county" road 4540--think of Stout Grove over by Crescent City (gravel, hilly and lots of curves--couldn't go over 24mph).  But again, God had his hand on the situation.  We don't see a sign for the waterfall so travel up the road a couple miles, turn around and come back to where GPS says it is supposed to be.  There is a pull out so we pull out.  2 jeeps come in almost immediately after us.  Chuck thinks "Deliverance" (the movie) but another 8 or so jeeps pull in and ordinary people start getting out.  Lo and behold!  They were there to see the water fall and said we could tag along.  We are thankful because we would never have found it.  There is not trail, just a nearly-dry river bed.  It was pretty but not very big.  We asked one of the group if they had good fall colors and he said they are as good as Maine--that's what we had just talked about not an hour before.  Go figure.

We went into Russellville, Arkansas, ate lunch and decided to go on to Benton, AR--about 114 miles further.  There is a Calvary Chapel just outside Benton (Bauxite, AR) which we will attend tomorrow.

Took a little rest and Chuck felt something crawling on his leg.  Guess what??? A tick!!  We searched each other, found none so hope that is the only one.

Thanks for reading.  We are getting ready to compile the mileage data so, if you haven't "entered", text Karen your estimate.

Chuck's Addendum (navigation apps):

During this trip as Karen drives I've been trying out two different navigation apps: Google Maps and Waze.  

Google Maps seems quite integrated into the Android environment, and is the default navigation app.  It is easy to search, research, and map out directions.  There are options to avoid toll roads, ferries, highways, and to prefer fuel-efficient routes.

Waze gives these options as well, plus being able to avoid dirt roads and difficult intersections.  Toll and HOV passes can be added to the app as well.

Initially I was beginning to like Waze until we reached County Road 4540 -- 8-1/2 miles of gravel.  We expected the app to avoid gravel roads... but in this case it did not.  I must assume that either the road wasn't coded as gravel, or the app doesn't quite perform as desired.  Also, voice directions seem inconsistent -- not always announcing the need for a turn -- the app is mute.  Then there were times when the mapped route would try to take us around a block rather than straight.  

Both show posted speeds (for the most part), as well as actual speed.  Waze is a bit more visual in its display.  

The Waze search function seems far less intuitive and less integrated.  I suspect it would be good for day-to-day commutes where exploration was not needed, and the ability to mark road hazards would be a plus for other commuters.

So for now we'll stick with Google Maps and check Waze periodically for beneficial updates

Day 9: Catch Up and Little Creatures

It's Friday... and we are back!! 

WEDNESDAY:  It was fun, family time from 2:30 Wednesday afternoon until 9am this morning (Friday) with some time-outs for sleep.  The time from leaving our room in Garden City, Kansas to seeing Karen's Aunt Ruth Ann in Emporia, Kansas was fraught with delays, delays, delays.  There were numerous road delays.  And trains in Kansas are a traveler's worst nightmare.  There are tracks everywhere: they go across major highways and trains are all over 100 cars long. In defense of the long drive, the scenery was gorgeous.  Right now all of Kansas is so incredibly green. It did the soul good to see all the grass and grain fields.

After arriving in Emporia we took a covid test because of Aunt Ruth Ann's health.  After test was completed, we couldn't raise her--she had her air conditioning on, phone off, is hard of hearing, and a tree trimming crew was chipping their newly harvested limbs they cut from the trees overhanging the street.  But all the distractions were worth it when we finally connected.  So much catching up.  Cousin Joyce came over for dinner and then we went to Joyce's to spend the night. Karen and Joyce stayed up until after 11 talking and putting a jigsaw puzzle together.

Prather Falls in Chase County Kansas

THURSDAY: Kansas roads and the Gasaway's have issues, even as we drove Joyce's car (these miles don't count in the mileage pool).  Thursday morning we were going to see Prather Falls just 22 miles from Joyce's. We took a wrong turn and ended up on the Kansas turnpike quickly heading toward Wichita, adding another 40 miles to our trip--lesson in patience!!!  We picked up cousin Mauree just 6 miles from the waterfall.  She was a great help because she knew about the falls and had some interesting history and had stories to tell of her earlier visits to the falls.  Karen almost stepped on a turtle (very small) but instead took a picture of it (first small creature).  The falls comes from a reservoir--not a river like we think of.  The water is NOT snow melt--very interesting.  We followed Mauree back to town so it was only 22 miles.

We had lunch out and then Chuck and Joyce went to Joyce's - talked and eventually napped.  Mauree (Ruth Ann's daughter) dropped me off at Ruth Ann's and went on her way.  Ruth Ann and Karen talked about Karen's maternal side of the family, went through pictures and had a great time.  Joyce and Chuck came and picked Karen up (Joyce and Ruth Ann only live 1 1/2 miles from each other.  Karen was going to walk but it was 100 degrees and Karen had a box of "treasures" to bring home.

We went to Joyce's for a couple of hours, worked on puzzles, and then it was off to dinner and bingo at the American Legion.  What a riot!  This was a first for both of us - playing official, organized bingo.  It is a far cry from just putting chits on a piece of paper.  Had fun but didn't win anything.  Got home about 9:30 and finished putting a puzzle together while talking.  Got to bed a little after midnight.  We slept in the basement, but Karen heard one clap of thunder.  Joyce, sleeping upstairs, said her weather alert went off, but being a true Kansan knew it wasn't anything to worry about.

FRIDAY-today:  We left Joyce's home at about 9am and took a leisurely drive south and east, south and east, south and east.  Truly the roads in Kansas are straight so we would drive south for a while, turn left and drive for a while and turn right.  A while being between 10 and 25 miles.  On a map our route resembled stair steps descending to the south and east. Beautiful country--green. 

There was quite a transition in scenery as we have driven east across Kanas into Missouri.  From very flat land which gradually transitioned into lush green rolling hills. The rolling became more pronounced with tree filled ravines.  The hills here in Missouri are MUCH taller - maybe 300 feet!  Forests of deciduous trees are now the norm.

Grand Falls

We went to Grand Falls just outside of Joplin, Missouri.  It was right alongside a country road, very interesting location.  After exploring the falls, along with a beautiful butterfly (second little creature), we drove alongside the river until we can to a little park where we had lunch. It may seem a bit of embellishment to call the falls 'Grand' as we are accustomed to much taller - but this is Missouri, and there aren't nearly as many places for water to drop far.

Then we drove to where we are spending the night, Neosho, Missouri.  It is a quaint little town with a "courthouse square" in the middle of town.  We walked around some and at 3pm 2 hymns played on the town carillons so all of downtown could hear.  I seem to remember hymns being played in Emporia also at noon, 3pm and 5pm.

Got dinner, came to the room and are catching up.  Enjoying God's land and little creatures.

Day 7 and 8: No wifi, back on Friday

Day 6 will be the last post until Friday, May 13, as we will be staying with family who don't have wifi.  We're looking forward to seeing this part of the family.  

Will update everyone then.

Day 6: Longest Travel Day to Garden City Kansas

Long but not so bad.  Started at 6:40am and had sun-in-the-eyes issues for about an hour.  There wasn't a lot of wind (and thus dust), so driving was much easier.  We stopped at a little place called "Raisin Rye" for coffee and a pastry in Del Norte (not California) Colorado.  Was nice to get out and stretch our legs.  Then ate lunch at Sonic in La Junta--about 90 minutes west of the Kansas border.  We also finished book two just before crossing the Kansas border--so glad we have quite of few books downloaded.

We saw two waterfalls alongside the road but no "named" ones.  Wolf Creek Pass was our highlight today.

Oh beautiful, for spacious skies
For amber waves of grain
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain

We saw it all today! The spacious skies were huge, especially as we dropped out of the mountain majesties east of the continental divide. The grain, not yet amber, certainly a lush shade of green.  Now the fruited plain:  yes, there is much farming and agriculture, but also much sage brush, not unlike what we see in parts of eastern Oregon or even Nevada. The changes and contrasts of the day were immense.

It is 90 degrees and sunny here in Garden City, Kansas.  We ate dinner in our room then Chuck wound down by checking news and things while Karen walked on the treadmill for 30 minutes.

This will be the last post until Friday as we will be staying with family who don't have wifi.  Looking forward to seeing this part of the family.  Will update everyone then.

The mileage challenge is still open.  We have 9 people entered.  Remember you can text or email Karen.

America! America!

God shed His grace on thee

And crown thy good with brotherhood

From sea to shining sea!

Thank you all for sharing our adventure.

Day 5: Cortez Down Day

You know how it is, you can only go so long before it is time to take a break.  Also, when something big is on the horizon (no pun intended), need to prepare.  That was our day today.

Because of our traveling over 1100 miles so far--in 4 days--we "caught up" today.  We did laundry, washed the car, took a nap, went to the post office and Dollar Tree (yes there is one in Cortez Colorado). Because of the hundreds of miles of very dusty conditions we did a thorough check of the engine and air filter.  Did I mention we took a nap?  We actually ate in our room - food we bought yesterday.  And we very much enjoyed the "suite" that Best Western gave us for being a loyal member.  We also did some studying and just hanging out.  We have chairs just outside our room that overlook a nice water feature (not turned on) but weren't able to enjoy very much because the wind is incredibly strong.  At the laundromat a woman was saying it has been this way for most of April and May.  She was weary of the wind.

Our "horizon" for tomorrow will start early enough that may have some issues with sun in our eyes as it rises.  We have 500-mile drive day so will start early.  We are thinking that this will be our last 'long' day on the road. Karen will probably knit when not driving and we will start another audio book.  There aren't any "sites" scheduled but if something looks interesting, we will certainly stop and enjoy.

For those interested in the 'Trip Pool' contest mentioned on May 4, the map here shows our progress to date as well as tentative route plan, and towards the end a 'very' tentative route.  If you've already entered, there is time to update your educated guess.

Day 4: Church and a Long Drive

Calvary Salt Lake was wonderful, and as it turns out, this is the second Mother's Day visit to the church in two years.  We were in SLC last year for our granddaughter's graduation from the University of Utah.  

They had a worship leader that wrote a couple of very good songs that told of Jesus' love.  The "music" pastor gave the message from Luke 15--Lost and Found.  One point that stuck with us was that the Father could have disowned the son but instead took the shame of having a rebellious son--like our Father does with us all.  There was much more if you want to look the teaching up.

The drive today (about 350 miles) gave us a variety of landscapes from snow covered mountains to rocky cliffs; from irrigated farmland to barren land; evergreens to scrub brush and tumbling sage brush.  Our God is so creative and majestic.

At different times over the past few years we've driven the roads we covered today: from Salt Lake City to Cortez Colorado, through Green River and past Arches National Park and Moab. 

Wilson Arch (along highway US-191)

On those previous trips we had never encountered such wind as today.  We encountered very large dust devils that could have swallowed up our little car.  Tumbleweeds galore, some up to three feet in diameter blowing across the road with a vengeance.  We did run over several as there was no way to avoid them. A few range cattle right along side the road added to the flavor of the day.  And then the dust!  At times as we passed plowed farmland that the dust was so thick that visibility was near zero. With all that we did arrive in Cortez with no incidents.

We did finish our first audio book just before we entered Colorado at 4pm Mountain Time.

We continue to be so thankful for how the LORD is allowing us to be so blessed.  Our prayer is that we will always glorify Jesus and we are learning how to do that.  This morning we sat with another couple at breakfast at the motel.  They seemed nice enough but wanted to know about jobs and education.  We mentioned an article from Fox News and they no longer wanted to talk to us.  It reminded us to talk about Jesus and important things.  So thankful the LORD is patient as we learn how to share Him.  Then we were so blessed at church because of the kindness and love shown. 

Day 3: Time with our Granddaughter

We have been so blessed already on this trip.  Today was a day to get to know our adult granddaughter a bit more.  We arrived at her apartment at 9:30. Once we organized our snacks, coats, and water we were off to Timpanogos Falls--about an hour drive (47 miles) from Salt Lake City.  

About our hike to Timpanogos Falls.  The elevation of Salt Lake City is about 4,300 ft.  The trailhead for the falls is almost 6,900 ft.  On our 1 mile hike from the trailhead to the falls we gained 660 ft.  The trail was very rocky to begin with but then was "paved"--about 18 inches across and very uneven with many places where the pavement had eroded over the years.  Near the parking area parts of the trail were covered with the icy remains of winter snow which had us all somewhat concerned about the higher end of the trail. Fortunately that was the only ice we had to contend with. Interesting path.  When we left Salt Lake the weather was very hazy, windy and cool.  At the trailhead it was sunny, clear, just a slight breeze and much warmer.  Great hike!!!  It took us 45 minutes to go the 1 mile up and 39 minutes to look, take pictures and hike back down.

After getting back to town we found a little pizza place and ate lunch.  Then Hannah took us to the school she will be teaching first grade next year as well as the one she is teaching at this year.  Now we can have a picture in our minds when we think about her teaching the young ones.  We went to her apartment, a very cute place.  After playing Uno Attack for about an hour Karen won once and Hannah and Chuck won the rest of the games
.

We came back to the room at about 5pm.  What a wonderful day!!!  So very thankful for, and proud of, our Hannah.

Day 2: Long Travel Day to SLC

This was strictly a travel day to get to Salt Lake City to see our granddaughter, Hannah. After leaving Fernley it was 7 hours and 488 miles to get to today's destination. Weather was sunny, wind was at our back most of the time so got better gas mileage.  It is a cool fact that yesterday we drove about 4 miles on four-lane highways with all the rest on two-lane state and US routes.  Today we had no two-lane highway--sometimes 10-lane but no two-lane.

We wanted to miss "downtown" Salt Lake City so we put Magna, UT as a waypoint so we could get off I-80 and end up at our motel.  We obediently followed direction (although we did wonder to ourselves--not to each other) that the route seemed odd.  When the GPS said, "You have arrived at your destination" we were on a residential street in the middle of Magna--17 miles from our motel 😁.  Magna appeared to be a cool little town.

The highlight of today was spending a couple of hours with Hannah.  We had dinner, chatted and planned our outing for tomorrow.  We are so thankful for our Hannah and very proud of the young woman she is.

Day 1: To Fernley Nevada - On the Road Again!

Busy but good day.  In the morning we got house and home ready for our extended time away.  Karen's heart doctor visit was very good--she doesn't want to see Karen again for a year.

Thank you all for praying for us.  The prayers mean so much.  We were leaving town at 1:40pm and had to stop for a very long train on the South Side Bypass.  We were both wondering if this was the beginning of many delays - but not the case.

Entered California at 2:18. Entered Nevada at 4:16.  We had rain off and on the entire way but nothing serious.  The wind was very strong coming from the west--so we weren't driving into it.  Near Empire Nevada there was a lot of gypsum dust blowing across the road and down a valley.  We were thankful for our $4.45 gas at home when we saw $6.09 in Alturas California.

The route we took was beautiful--mountains, valleys, some green fields--much vastness.

Very good day 1.

There have been three entries in the mileage challenge so far.

The Night Before and All Through the House...

Wednesday, May 4, 2022.  9:45pm

Greetings all,  

This is my time of day--all the choirs for the day are done so I can think more clearly.  Our bags are truly packed; just need to load the car tomorrow.  It is nice that we won't be leaving until the afternoon--don't have to "worry" about oversleeping.

The Trip Pool

Now is the time to enter the "how many miles" for this trip.  Please email or text me.  Sunday, May 15 or Monday, May 16 I will send out a list of all who are participating and will ask if there are any "late comers".  They by Saturday, May 21 a list will be sent (probably emailed) so that you will know where you stand. You won't be able to change your 'educated guess' after this date.

There is no entry fee! And there is no real prize other than the notoriety of being the best guesser! 

Just a reminder, we put just shy of 10,000 miles on our 2016 trip and we didn't start driving until after we exited Amtrak in Wisconsin.

One person commented that they can't comment on the blog.  Hubby knows that things can get weird so he turned comments off.  We would love to hear from you so please text or email either of us.

So thankful for each one of you.

Let the fun begin,

Karen

Well... That was Fun!

 

Five and one-half years have gone by since our last major trip!

Now we're about to embark on yet another adventure that has several goals:

• Watch our youngest grandson graduate from high school.
• Finish visiting the last of the 50 states in the United States of America. 
• See some sights we have yet to see.

It's about to begin

Stay tuned for a day-by-day account of what we've seen and done.  In the mean time, please know that we will miss our family and friends at home, but we do have full intentions of returning home at the end of this journey.

All our bags are packed we're ready to go

We're waitin' here for the final appointment

We hate to leave you but plan to return

But the dawn is breakin' it's gettin' close

The road's waitin' a long lonesome hiway

Already I'm so excited I could cry

'Cause we're leavin' in a little car

Don't know when we'll be back again

Oh friends, we'll miss you so