Back Thru North Carolina

We returned through North Carolina on July 27, 2012 but when we were there visiting Vanessa, her husband Earl and their daughter earlier in the month (July 10th), we saw a bridge named the Harriet Tubman Bridge. We also saw the Booker T. Washington Center.
The state legislature honored the Underground Railroad Conductor by naming the future U.S. Highway 17 bridge over the Combahee River "The Harriet Tubman Bridge" The bridge will be just South of where historians think Tubman helped lead a Union Raid on several Plantations that freed more that 750 slaves on the night of June 2, 1863,

We also saw the Booker T. Washington Community Center in the city of Rocky Mount, North Carolina. This is a 4.2 acre site located off Highway 64. The mission of the center is to provide an environment that promotes the quality of life, values, and the welfare of the community . . .

Booker Taliaferro Washington was born in Virginia to a slave on April 5, 1856. He was an African American educator . He founded the Tuskegee Normal & Industrial Institute in Alabama.

The Beginning of the End

 Sunday, July 29, 2012 marked the 4th Sunday of a four (4) week trip. On this day, we were in Richmond, Virginia. We may have three more family visits to make. Maybe we will not need to stay in any more hotels, however, this will still depend on making contact with family members, the weather and the condition of the Harley Motorcycle. We really enjoy staying at family homes, but I do miss my home and want to enjoy it a little before returning to work. We will see.

Wednesday's St John 7:00PM Pray& Pastor Sandy's Sunday Service E-mail

During this trip,I was able to pray with the people of St John. Every Wednesday at 7:00PM, we pray the "Saint John's Pray For Continued Transformation." This is a 4 paragraph prayer offering thanks to God, requesting a clear vision, confessing and asking for the Holy Spirit to guide us. The pray uses Isaiah 43:19-20 . . . about to do a new thing . . . will make a way in the wildness and rivers in the desert." At the end of the prayer it said, Here we are, O Lord send us. In the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ, we pray, Amen The first week, I was in a place where I was able to read the prayer. The next two Wednesdays I was still on the motorcycle at 7:00PM so I said The Lord's Prayer & prayed for & with the people of St. John. As I stated before, Pastor Sandy e-mails the Sunday Service. The first two weeks, I was able to print it out and read it once Sunday came. I try to read it about the same time as service. Today, I read it on my telephone much earlier. (Sometimes I can not get to a computer) This is the 9th Sunday after Pentecost. The e-mail includes: the theme, the Scriptures, all the readings including the Psalm, who is participating, the music, the setting and our after service forum. I can always get a CD once I return home. I read my "Christ In Our Home" and today's reading is the same theme as St John. Five loads & two fish.

Barbecue Night

Just had ribs from "Buz and Ned's Real Barbecue" in Richmond, Virginia. It is advertised as Richmond's only 100% wood cooked barbecue since 1992. This Barbecue is the winner of the food network's Throw Down with Bobby Flay. It also appeared on the travel channel's "Man vs Food" with Adam Ziamond. According to The Story online, "Buz travelled the country and learned secret family recipes. On one of his journeys, He ran across Ned. Ned produced the best BBQ. It was a recipe that had been handed down for over 150 years. Jim wanted BBQ and finally got it. We both enjoyed it.

A Lovely Day

On Thursday, July 26, 2012 as we were riding, Jim said this IS a Lovely Day. We were also listening to the song,
"A Lovely Day" by Bill Withers.
 Some of the lyrics are:

When I wake up in the morning, 

Love and Sunshine hurt my eyes . . .

When the day that lies ahead of me

Seems impossible to face.

When someone else instead of me

Always seems to know the way.

Then I look at you

And the world's alright with me.

Just on look at you, and I know

It's gonna be a 

Lovely Day, Lovely Day, Lovely Day

It was truly another lovely Day. Jim got up early so that we could head to the Dragon's Tail in North Carolina. Again as mentioned, 11 miles, 318 curves. Does this seem impossible?  The night before, we stayed in Mt. Juliet, TN in a Quality Inn that was not very nice. There was no real breakfast (Wrapped Danish). 

Once we were on the road, it was another pleasant day. The weather as great, maybe in the 80s and there was a warm breeze. The sky was a bathroom powder blue with puffy white clouds painted in the sky. It took us a while to get there and we arrived about 6:00PM. Bikers are usually friendly and helpful people. We spoke with one guy from our state, Pennsylvania and he gave us some advice. All day people would say, "Be Careful" once we informed them of where we were going or what we were looking for. This biker said,

"Keep the Shiny Up" 

Laundry ~ Again?

At the Fairfield Inn & Suites Marriott in Roanoke, Virginia. Arrived here about 8:00PM and needed to do the laundry. Started as soon as possible and Jim went directly out to get us something to eat. It is now 11:35PM and I am still waiting for the clothes to dry. While doing the laundry, I did sat by the outdoor pool and read some, checked out the whirlpool and also did only 15 minutes on the treadmill.

The Code of the Road, Again

Today we travelled over 300 miles. Yesterday we did a lot of travelling to get to the Dragon's Tail. For the last two day, we saw more bikers than we have the entire trip. The Dragon's tail is a scenic road in North Carolina. It is sometimes considered the "Devil's Cove" or "Tail of the Dragon" Motorcycle Trail". It is 11 miles with 318 curves. It is one of the most popular cycling routes in America.

Jim and I were on his full dresser Harley Davidson with all of our luggage. Everyone that we asked directions for prior to getting there said, "Be Careful". A few weeks ago another biker said that the Dragon was too beautiful to blast, so we were being very, very careful. Once we got to the end, a biker said that he notice that we were careful and kinda stayed with us. He also suggested a very nice Inn, complete with individual garages for motorcycles. This is an example of how bikers treat each other.

A few years ago, I wrote this in my blog, "One Heck of A Ride"  At that time, we were travelling across county. We went from home, to Atlantic City to the Pacific Coast Highway.

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Code of the Road

While traveling across the country again on the Harley, I paid more attention to what I call the “Code of the Road”. Motorcycle riders usually acknowledge each other. They put out their left arm. This is when they are traveling in the opposite direction. If riders pass each other while going the same direction they nod their heads. There are also times when a hand motion means to slow down. The rider extends the left arm and pats the palm several times down using a motion similar to the way a basketball player would bounce a basketball. One time, we pulled off to the side of the road and a rider gave us a thumbs up. I quickly learned that "thumbs up" means, "Are you OK?" At one point we actually needed help because our motorcycle wouldn't start. I thumbed down. Another rider, with one leg (yes, a one-legged rider! He had one prosethic leg), actually stopped for us to check on us. Riders do stop to help each other.

I especially like it when we would see one of those very long freight trains. Jim would wave at the engineer and he would blow his horn.

COMPUTER- "Out Of Order"

We are at an Quality Inn & Suites in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee. The computer is out of order and it is a little difficult to blog on this telephone. Today's ride from Memphis was one of the nicest rides as it pertains to the weather.

States

How many states have we travelled? So far we have gone through nine (9) states: Delaware, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Louisiana & Mississippi.

From here we are going to Tennessee, back to North Carolina, back to Virgina, Maryland, Delaware and then back home.

MISSISSIPPI STAY OVER

My initial plan did not call for stopping in Mississippi (except for gas) let alone finding a Best Western Hotel room, complete with a Jacuzzi! Well, after some fits and starts and an aborted run to Baton Rouge from New Orleans, this is where we ended up. Tomorrow it's a three hour ride (Ha, Ha) to Memphis to see some family. Let's hope the Rain Gods continue to smile (and not spit) on us.  By Jim Benton

ELCA Youth Gathering 2012

Met a Lutheran Youth Leader while having my coffee. Her name is Kate and she is from Southern California. She was waiting for her husband to bring the van around. They are heading to service and need to be home by tomorrow night. This was her first experience with a large gathering. Last night we learned that there are 33,000 youths here. She said that all of the night time activities are like being at a Rock Concert. They were here since Wednesday. She also said that young people need to know that it is alright to have fun & still be a Christian. I shared with her what I do for a living and my experience years & years ago at an youth gathering at Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana. At that time, we were the Lutheran Church of America (LCA), Center City Lutheran Parish. Now we are Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Montgomery Conference. We went from parishes to conferences. Kate also said that one of the speakers from Africa said,
                                                   "In the Western World,
                                                         you have watcher.
                                                   In Africa, we have
                                                              TIME"
Kate told me that the speaker was making reference to how we schedule and sometimes we overbook ourselves.

Key West & Alligator Alley

On Wednesday, July 18, 2012 at 10:18PM I wrote:

We left Key West, Florida today and travelled over 250 miles. We ended up in a Comfort Inn in Naples, Florida. I learned several things about Key West and the Florida Keys. Before this trip, I don't think I even thought about the word "KEYS".

Some of my background information comes

from searching on line or from

tourist information sheets.



The word "Keys" is derived from the Spanish Cayo, meaning Small Island.

The Florida Keys begin at the southern tip of the Florida peninsula about 15 miles south of Miami and extends in a arc south-southwest and then western to Key West. The islands lie along the Florida Straits dividing the Atlantic Ocean to the east from the Gulf of Mexico to the West and defining one edge of Florida Bay. There are forty-two (42) bridges over the sea and that includes the famous "Seven Mile Bridge."

The main sections of the Florida Keys area are: Key Largo, Islamarado, Marathon, Lower Keys & Key West. Some of the names we passed were: No Name Key, Sunshine Key, Duck Key, Big Pine Key & Pigeon Key. There were so many more Keys.

In order to get to Naples, we had to cross Alligator Alley, also know as the Everglades Parkway. It is a section of interstate 75 & state road 84 and is 84 miles long. It connects the lower east & West Coasts of Florida. It was given the name by the American Automobile Association during planning: they believed it would be useless to cars, merely an "alley for alligators" Cars started using it in 1973 and it was widened to four lanes between 1986 & 1992. We rode along and saw the swampland in the Everglades. There were alligator fences along the sides. We did not see any gators, Jim looked.

We are now at the Pensacola Beach still in Florida. Today, Saturday, July 21, 2012 we are leaving Florida and heading to New Orleans.

Mileage

On Thursday, July 19, 2012, we drove 450 miles just in Florida. We drove the most miles in the state of Florida than in any other state so far. We drove 420 miles in the state of Nebraska several years ago. Altogether we drove about 1,350 miles in the Sunshine state of Florida.

More Friends

Again going back to last week:

We had our first break from the Harley when we visited Meeks' sister Kay on Thursday, July 12, 2012. We met her right off 95 in Hardeeville, NC at the Dunkin Donut Shop. She brought us sandwiches, drinks and snacks from a Mike's Jersey Sub Shop and we ate at her house. After the meal, she took us on tour of the area and then back to her house. We talked and laughed until about 12:30AM the next day. She let us use her car and led us to the Sleep Inn at her expense. When the sun came up, we had breakfast with Meeks at the Sleep Inn. From there, we visited his sister Kay's dentists practice (took a tour and pictures) then went back to their home to get the bike.

On Saturday, July 14, 2012, we visited with a retired Probation Officer Bob Staton who lives in West Palm Beach, Florida. We met him at a Wells Fargo Bank and he led us to his home. He is a collector and I really like his starfish collections in his bathroom. I also admired his pictures. He does polo photography. We had a nice visit in his home and then he treated us to a pizza & pasta buffet.

Our second bike break was at Mary's house. Mary is a friend of Jim and his cousin Rocky. She is also God Mother to  Rocky's daughter.  We got there at 9:30PM that evening on Friday, July 13, 2012. She lives in Hallandale, FL. The next morning she took us to have brunch at the Cracker Barrel and then drove us around to the beaches, the sites and the grocery store.

It is great having friends

Friends

Again going back to last week:

After finding New Family on Tuesday, July 10, 2012, we stayed over night with Vanessa and Earl in Fayetteville, NC. Vanessa is one of my High School Friends. I put my sister Debbie on the speaker on the telephone. We talked a little about the baby shower. Debbie will soon be a grandmother again. We also talked a little about old times. It was great talking and enjoying a delicious meal that Earl prepared. We also were able to wash clothes, especially since we were soaked when we arrived to Vanessa's. About 4 inches of rain fell on us in a very short time. Vanessa had some great pictures and sayings on her wall.

" If you stumble, make it

part of the dance"

"The Greatest happiness in

Life is Love"

"Having a place to go is

Home

Having someone to Love is
Family

Having both is a

Blessing"



New Found Family

Going back to last week.
On Tuesday, July 10, 2012, Jim questioned me about the Coleys of Wayne County, North Carolina and if I wanted to visit. We would do it if it was on the way to Vanessa's House who lives in Fayetteville, NC and if it was not raining too bad. We questioned a few people in the area regarding location, we called Vanessa, looked on the map and decided to go. We were also looking for at least one of the three Coley Cemeteries.

We went to Fremont, NC in Wayne County. Fremont is "The Daffodil Town". We found a cemetery, but it was not any of the Coley Cemeteries. The first thing we saw was a headstone that said,

"BENTON"

     "The Daffodil Town" ~ A daffodil is any of the numerous varieties of Narcissus plants having showy often yellow

flowers with a trumpet-shape crown. Fremont was

chartered in 1862. It is a small, Rural town located in

Eastern North Carolina. In 1958, Bugs Barriger, a writer

for the "News & Observer, penned Fremont,

"The Daffodil Town" in an article about

 Fremont's daffodil gardens. Several years later,

the town began celebrating the arrival of spring

and the blooming yellow flower by honoring

 it annually at the  'Daffodil Festival".

It is the 4th Saturday in March each year

Back to the cemetery.  After we left, we saw a lady and Jim explained that I, his wife was a Coley and that we were seeking family. She said her name was Annie Coley. We met her mother, Margaret Coley, her Aunt, Christine Deloris Coley and she said that her father was John R. Coley. Annie is actually Annie Coley-Lane. After sitting in their home, I called Philadelphia to speak with Aunt Diane and Aunt Sis and obtained additional family information. Aunt Diane gave me names and Aunt Sis gave me telephone numbers of Grandma Coley's side of the family.

After talking to these Annie & her family, it was determined that this was not my family ( I still think that there is a distance connection)

Annie said that I look like the other Coleys.  She tried to contact someone by phone who she said knows everything. Being unsuccessful on the telephone, she decided to take us there. First we met Lucille Coley and her husband. She was not familiar with any of the names Aunt Diane gave me and suggested David Coley. We went to his house, however, he was not home. His wife Ellen Coley suggested while waiting for David to return in about 10 minutes to try Rosa Coley next door.

Ding, Ding, Ding, ~ We hit the jackpot. Once I said that my grandfather was Coy Sr. and that he had a twin named Roy, a brother named Foy, a sister named Alberta who lived to be 105 years old and another sister but Aunt Diana could not remember the name, Rosa said, " I think we are kin. Her name was Estell and my father was Thomas. Rosa is my second cousin. She is 80 years old and is one of fourteen children. She has a sister living who is 92 years old. There is longevity hope for me.

Key West is the BEST, So Far

Doing laundry now. While waiting, we are sitting at a pool side bar.

 At Key West, we had the opportunity to do more than in any other place so far. This is the southern end of the United States. As stated before, we went to the SOUTHERNMOST point. (Point 0), and to the Sunset Pier at Mallory Square. This is where they celebrate Sun Down 365 days a year. We went to the Harley store and had a relaxing day at the Smather's beach.

Now I am looking forward to more riding. Hope the weather is better than it is now (Raining)

Advice from other Bikers

A guy at Daytona Beach said,
               

"Watch out for the tourist,

                   the blue hairs and the children"

We were informed by a rider at a rest stop on route I-95 South in  Florida  about a GPS that is waterproof and made for motorcycles. It is a Zumo by Garmin. (Jim informed him about the "backpak" we wear in order to have cool water while we ride)

While on the beach in Key West today, another rider said, " Riding the Dragon's Tail in North Carolina is too beautiful to Blast. Leave that to the young folks."

The Beach

A nice relaxing day at Smather's beach in Key West. There is a gentle breeze and the weather is not too warm. The sky is blue with a few of those cotton ball white clouds. The water is just right. The first thing I did was to get in the water. I splashed around and then went for a lovely walk on the beach coastline. After that, I actually read for about an hour. Got back in the water with Jim and then we both relaxed a while longer before the rain came. It was still a lovely day.

Time

Time has stopped at 2:40AM on July 17, 2012. My watch is not working. What am I going to do? Oh well I thought, "If we had gone to Disney, I would have gotten another Disney watch."
~ Maybe I will just have to wait for Dolphin, my son and his family to return to Disney next year. . . or get a battery.

We had a very nice time yesterday. It was the first day that we arrived to a hotel early. It was 4:30PM. How am I going to tell time now? Guess I will have to use my telephone sometimes on the road, whenever possible. Usually, on the road, I would look at my watch to determine how long we've travelled. If I got tired, I may think, "try for another 1/2 hour & then tell Jim, or if Jim said, "another hour and we'll be there," I could count the minutes. What's a women to do? I'm a sucker for time.

Well, back to my very nice TIME. After we checked in to the Comfort Inn, Key West, FL, we found an Outback Steakhouse. I'm sitting there, after we ordered, looking for the weight watchers points. I am not doing well in this area on this trip. I am having too much fun. After we ate, we went to the end of Route 1 which is the Southernmost Point. (the marker spells the word SOUTHERNMOST as one word) Next was Mallory Square on the Sunset Pier. That was great. We may go back tonight to actually watch the sun go down. Last night we got some pictures but they were of a late sunset. The next thing we did, naturally, was the Harley Davidson Store for T-Shirts. Everything we brought, we shipped home. We really don't have the space on the Harley. The store was a small store - (no bikes) on Duval Street. Duval Street was like our South Street. Jim said, "This is like South Street in Philadelphia, PA on steroids." On the way back to the room, we picked up some beverages. I'm glad we decided to stay two nights. This gives our bodies a rest from the Harley. Today we plan to go to the beach, next to the hotel pool and then back to Mallory Square this evening before sunset.

To The End

Today, Monday, July 16, 2012, we made it from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina to Key West, Florida. We went to the very end of 95 South and it turned into Route 1 South. We also went to the end of Route 1 South. There was a marker at the end and we took pictures after standing in line for about 15 minutes. The marker said,

"The Conch Republic

90 miles to Cuba

Southernmost

Point

Continental

U.S. A.

Key West, Florida

Home of the Sunset"

After we took pictures, we went to Mallory Square and had drinks at the Sunset Pier. It was full of people having drinks, dancing and enjoying each other. There was a singer and a guitar player on stage. We took pictures of the sunset. It was wonderful to be there and we had a chance to relax.

Sunday

Yesterday was Sunday. I read the Bible verses and I read the theme of the service (July 15, 2012) from my church , Saint John Evangelism Lutheran Church, Ambler, PA. The Pastor e-mails the entire service to us weekly. This is great if you must miss a Sunday. The music was Jazz & Gospel. This is the music every third Sunday. Our scripture readings were:
Amos 7:8-15, Ephesians 1:3-14, Mark 6:14-29, and Psalm 85:8-13 (I will listen to what the LORD GOD is saying)
The Pastor also suggested reading a little about Bishop Desmond Tutu. She gave us several web sites, one of which is: http://www.tutufoundationusa.org/      She also suggested 4 books.

~Made for Goodness

~No Future Without Forgiveness

~ God Has a Dream:
A Vision of Hope for Our Time

 ~God is not a Christian and other Provocations.

 I think I may try the last book.

On Sunday, we spent the day with Mary, a friend of Jim's,  in Hallandale, Florida. She was very giving and we appreciated her hospitality. She took us to eat at Crackle Barrel, she took us to the Hallandale beach and then she just drove us around her area. We enjoyed her company.

Once we got back on the road, we made it to Miami Beach. Jim & I got our feet wet for just a little while. Sunday was the start of our second week.

STILL HEADIN' SOUTH...

Well folks, it's Saturday morning and just like old times. it's laundry day! You might remember that our clothing schedule requires that we find a laundry spot about every five days or so. Anyway, while the clothes are still in the dryer, Tina suggested I drop y'all a note. First, big props out to Angie and the crew, for successfully fixing a major problem with the fish pond pump. I would hate to think of what would have happened to the fish if they hadn't acted quickly and efficiently.  Good jobs guys. Next, up, since we decided against going to see "the Mouse" today, we're heading south to Palm Beach to check out another retired Probation Officer, Bob Staton.  He is deeply involved with the Polo Set. Who knows, I might have to bring Haley up onto the Polo field to play with those guys  : -) Jim Benton

Blessed & Highly Favored

On Thursday, July 12, 2012, we went to Meeks sister's house in Hilton Head, South Carolina. She is a dentist and has a very nice house. She kept referring to herself as favored. Every time she said that, I thought about the gospel song, "Blessed and Highly Favored". She is blessed with a beautiful home, her own practice and she is starting a children's clinic and a whitening salon.

Good Morning Daytona Beach, FL

Went on the beach last night but it was really too dark. I did not go until after we had a nice dinner at T.G.I. Friday's.

It is now 8:30AM on Saturday and I already got Jim's breakfast. He is still sleeping. I am going for a walk on the beach, have my breakfast and then get ready to check out. Still trying to decide if we are going to Disney in Orlando or just stay on the coast. (Decisions, Decisions) Prayers were done earlier. Must stayed prayed up on a trip like this.

Coastal Walking

At 9:30am, I had just finished walking the coast line in the water at Myrtle Beach. It was wonderful. I then went back to the hotel and put my feet in the spa for just a few minutes. A little bit of me time. Jim is still sleep.

64 West

After we left Kitty Hawk, North Carolina and the Wright Brothers', we got gas and travelled along 64 West. There was a body of water on the side. Sometimes on the right and other times on the left. It was a two way-single lane highway with no shoulder or place to pull over. The body of water was called Alligator River. We looked but did not see any alligators. Then we saw a sign.

"It is unlawful to

feed the bears

on the highway"

Jim said that he would be glad to share a meal with the bears so that we don't become their meal. We also saw two additional signs that said.

"Bear watch

next 15 miles"

&

" Warning
Red Fox"

We were not in a zoo and I am glad that it was still day light. Jim wanted to get off of Alligator Alley before it got DARK. Once we were free of all of the animals, the rain came and boy did it rain. We decided not to continue to Fayetteville, North Carolina but to find a room. We had to travel another 21 or so miles to a Holiday Inn in Plymouth, North Carolina.

The Wright Brothers

On Monday July 9, 2012, we got to the Wright Brothers' National Memorial at 4:20PM and they were scheduled to close at 5:00PM. The first thing we did was to drive straight to the monument. We had to walk uphill quite a ways. There was a young girl coming down and she suggested that we rest every once in a while. Again, this advice was coming from a young person. The weather was in the 90 degree range. Coming down as you can imagine was much easier. We also saw the December 17, 1903 sculpture of the airplane. We never made it into the visitor's center where they showed movies, etc.

Did you know? The Wright Brothers' had a small business in Dayton, Ohio in the early 1890s? In 1892, they opened a bicycle shop. This was considered a respectable business, however they nurtured a dream. At the time, a dream of flying was not considered respectable.

Virginia Beach

On Monday, July 9, 2012, the first thing we did was to go to the Virginia Beach Harley Davidson shop. The lock on the trunk of the motorcycle broke at some point. After the repair, we met someone named Jim Owens.  He took us to the Virginia Beach shoreline.  We took 64 East and at the end, we saw the Holiday Inn that we stayed at in 2006 for our 14th anniversary. The Holiday Inn Ts off the end of 64 East. Great memories returned. We took a few pictures and did a video and headed to see where the Wright Brothers created the first airplane.

The First Stop ~ Virginia Beach

We left home about 12:30PM on Sunday, July 8, 2012 and arrived at the Best Western Center Inn at Virginia Beach at 7:55PM. That was a rough ride for me. I believe that I experienced heat exhaustion and had to make more stops than planned. Once we got to the hotel had a good dinner, I was fine. We went to a nice steak house and, of cause, Jim had a steak. I had a lobster tail, soup, salad and a veggie.

There is No Place Like Home

There is no place like home

We have been home for about 2 months arriving home on Sunday, August 8, 2010 at about 7:10PM. I was scheduled to return to work on Monday, August 9, 2010 at 8:00AM after using 4 weeks of vacation. I did make it to work extremely tired and was tired most of that first week. Imagine how truly amazing it was traveling as far as we did on a Harley Davidson Motorcycle? We travelled coast to coast. It took us a little while to transition back to a normal life and to a normal routine. Unpacking the Harley was not really a problem. How much can you pack on a motorcycle? However, while traveling, we shipped items from the Harley shops that we visited.  There were also times our family shipped items for us from the post office. We had about 5 or 6 boxes to unpack and we took hundreds of pictures. We needed to unpack, develop pictures and get them in albums. At present, I still need to put some of them in a photo album. We had pins and patches to sort. We also had tee-shirts, and grandchildren stuff to sort. There were several thank you cards to write that included pictures. We also had 17 hours of video for Jim to put on DVDs.

One morning, about a month after being home, I was sitting on my flag stone patio, in a high back oak chair. I looked at my red bud tree and at the Leyland Cypress trees next to the bench arbor that Jim build. The combination of colors and textures against the sky was beautiful. The sky was power blue and the clouds hung low and were a cotton ball white. I am thinking, “This is just as pretty as what I saw on the trip.” I do very much appreciate my home. On the trip we experience extremes in temperatures of heat in the Mojave dessert to the coldness of San Francisco and the Rocky Mountains. We saw beauty in the Flat Plains, Sky Country in Montana, the mountain, the lakes, rivers and sky. We survived the High wind gust areas of Salk Lake City, Utah and the very bad odors of the Cargill Stockyards but the Pine trees in Yellowstone National Park smelled just like Christmas. This was a trip of a lifetime, but near the end. Jim said,” I do not know if my bed misses me but I miss my bed.”

July 8, 2012 now we are going back in the saddle, so to speak on another “Heck of a Ride”. This time, we are COASTAL CRUISING.