We have made two more drives on our trip west. The first one was last Friday, when we drove from my Mom's in North Little Rock to Gun Barrel City in Texas.
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Day Miles: 316
Trip Miles: 1,380 ish
The second was yesterday, when we drove from Gun Barrel down to San Antonio, where we find ourselves this morning.
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Day Miles: 281
Trip Miles: 1,661 or so
Monday, May 27, 2013
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Photo of the day - Alabama Edition
Princess Leaya encourages everyone to visit Alabama. We saw most of it from the window of the truck but the rest area's were beautiful. I also enjoyed about a 90 minute nap while Kim took the wheel.
Hello Central Time Zone
Yesterday we drove from Smyrna, Ga to North Little Rock, Ark.
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We spent last night here and plan one more day before continuing west.
Day Miles - 518
Trip Miles - 1,064 (Approx)
View Larger Map
We spent last night here and plan one more day before continuing west.
Day Miles - 518
Trip Miles - 1,064 (Approx)
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
On the Road
Good Evening from Smyrna, Georgia
Before I write about our travels today, I want to take a moment to acknowledge the horrible event that occurred in Moore, Oklahoma this afternoon. Our hearts go out to the people affected by the tornado especially the families of the children lost in the destroyed school. Please take a minute to say a prayer for these people.
Doug and I had every intention of leaving early this morning, but that didn't happen! Of course we had to pack up the truck, do several last minute things, and say goodbye to our neighbors. Then after all was said and done, we finally got on the road about 10 this morning. And really, what's the rush? We're on vacation, right?
Several years ago, our friend Mary from Colorado, told me about this fun hobby called letterboxing. Letterboxing is where people from all over the country and the world have carved some amazing stamps then place them along with a logbook in a container and hide them in different places. I go to a website, www.atlasquest.com, and put in where it is I'm traveling then I get a page or several pages listing stamps in or around the area. Once I pick the stamp I want to find, I look up the clues provided. Once I find the stamp, I stamp their logbook with my personal stamp then I stamp my logbook with their stamp. After I've finished, I put the stamp back in it's hiding spot making sure nobody sees me so that people don't steal the stamps or just throw them away. It's lots of fun looking for letterboxes as I've learned about many areas, certain places or people I would have otherwise never known about.
So today we made three stops looking for letterboxes-two were located in rest areas and the third one was in a Georgia town. The first one was fairly easy to find in a Florida rest stop, but the second one in the Georgia welcome center had terrible clues so we never found it. Plus we were getting swarmed by little bugs. The third one was in Jonesboro, Georgia which became famous when part of the movie Smokey and the Bandit was filmed there and I would have never known about the town had it not been for the letterbox. Two out of three boxes today was a great accomplishment! But let me just say that Doug likes the hunt for the boxes and I'm the one who does all the stamping. Also Doug is much better at finding the boxes than me, but I am getting better. So if you get a chance, take a peek at the website to get more information on letterboxing. Doug and I have a great time plus it gives us a chance to take breaks throughout the day.
We made it to Smyrna, Georgia a little bit after 8 this evening. We're visiting with Doug's brother Dale and his wife Angie for the next two nights. Tomorrow Doug and Dale are playing golf together, but because Angie has to go to the dentist, I'm tagging along with the guys for the day. It's supposed to be a gorgeous day tomorrow so I'm looking forward to being outside.
Well, it's the end of our first day of traveling with many more exciting days ahead. Thank you for joining us on this incredible adventure as we're excited to share it with you. Don't forget that you can always leave us comments.
Good night from Georgia where they're glad they're on your mind!!! And once again, please keep the people of Moore, Oklahoma in your thoughts and prayers-they have a long road ahead of them.
Before I write about our travels today, I want to take a moment to acknowledge the horrible event that occurred in Moore, Oklahoma this afternoon. Our hearts go out to the people affected by the tornado especially the families of the children lost in the destroyed school. Please take a minute to say a prayer for these people.
Doug and I had every intention of leaving early this morning, but that didn't happen! Of course we had to pack up the truck, do several last minute things, and say goodbye to our neighbors. Then after all was said and done, we finally got on the road about 10 this morning. And really, what's the rush? We're on vacation, right?
Several years ago, our friend Mary from Colorado, told me about this fun hobby called letterboxing. Letterboxing is where people from all over the country and the world have carved some amazing stamps then place them along with a logbook in a container and hide them in different places. I go to a website, www.atlasquest.com, and put in where it is I'm traveling then I get a page or several pages listing stamps in or around the area. Once I pick the stamp I want to find, I look up the clues provided. Once I find the stamp, I stamp their logbook with my personal stamp then I stamp my logbook with their stamp. After I've finished, I put the stamp back in it's hiding spot making sure nobody sees me so that people don't steal the stamps or just throw them away. It's lots of fun looking for letterboxes as I've learned about many areas, certain places or people I would have otherwise never known about.
So today we made three stops looking for letterboxes-two were located in rest areas and the third one was in a Georgia town. The first one was fairly easy to find in a Florida rest stop, but the second one in the Georgia welcome center had terrible clues so we never found it. Plus we were getting swarmed by little bugs. The third one was in Jonesboro, Georgia which became famous when part of the movie Smokey and the Bandit was filmed there and I would have never known about the town had it not been for the letterbox. Two out of three boxes today was a great accomplishment! But let me just say that Doug likes the hunt for the boxes and I'm the one who does all the stamping. Also Doug is much better at finding the boxes than me, but I am getting better. So if you get a chance, take a peek at the website to get more information on letterboxing. Doug and I have a great time plus it gives us a chance to take breaks throughout the day.
We made it to Smyrna, Georgia a little bit after 8 this evening. We're visiting with Doug's brother Dale and his wife Angie for the next two nights. Tomorrow Doug and Dale are playing golf together, but because Angie has to go to the dentist, I'm tagging along with the guys for the day. It's supposed to be a gorgeous day tomorrow so I'm looking forward to being outside.
Well, it's the end of our first day of traveling with many more exciting days ahead. Thank you for joining us on this incredible adventure as we're excited to share it with you. Don't forget that you can always leave us comments.
Good night from Georgia where they're glad they're on your mind!!! And once again, please keep the people of Moore, Oklahoma in your thoughts and prayers-they have a long road ahead of them.
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Day 1 - Rotonda West to Smyrna, Ga
The trip starts tomorrow morning. We hope to be on the road and headed north by 9am. The first day of the trip looks like this:
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Not sure how often we will be posting as we travel. We have added a box on the right where you can sign up to get an email when we do get a post up. Please feel free to sign up!
View Larger Map
Not sure how often we will be posting as we travel. We have added a box on the right where you can sign up to get an email when we do get a post up. Please feel free to sign up!
Thursday, May 16, 2013
We're Getting Close Now
Hello to all our new friends who are joining us on this exciting adventure ahead. Doug and I promise to do our best to keep you up to date on this amazing trip all the way north to Alaska.
I didn't let myself get too excited about our upcoming trip because for the last nine weeks I've had to deal with IV antibiotics here in Florida. But today, the day I never thought would get here, finally arrived and I'm thrilled to report no more IV line. In it's place I have neon pink wrap, thank you Lisa for getting that color for me, and it feels so strange not to see an IV in my arm. It was a very emotional and difficult nine weeks, but thank you to everyone at Dr. Wazny's office for your support. And along that part of my journey, I met some great people who I'm looking forward to keeping in touch with.
Now reality hits and I have to think about packing as we leave on Monday the 20th of May-that's only four days from today!! I have a good idea of what to take, but I can finally admit that I'm the queen of procrastination. There I said it!! And Monday is coming up way too quick.
The first leg of our trip takes us to Atlanta to visit with Doug's brother and his wife Angie for two nights. Then we head to Little Rock for two nights to see Doug's Mom and her husband Roy. Then for Memorial Day weekend, we go to Gun Barrel City, Texas which is outside of Dallas, to spend time with Glenn and his wife Etta. They have a beautiful lake house with two wave runners and a party boat. I can't wait to ride the wave runner. After the holiday weekend, we make our way to Phoenix to see Dan and Gayle then it's up to Flagstaff to get a few things. We're hoping to see several of our friends and hopefully have lunch or dinner with them. And finally we should arrive at my Mom's house in Santa Rosa, CA by June 3rd or 4th.
Once we arrive in Santa Rosa, we have a lot of work to get done before we leave for Alaska. The RV hasn't been out for months so we need to get it road ready as we have a long way before we get to Alaska. My favorite part of getting ready is shopping at Costco filling up the grocery cart and of course we splurge just a little! Better to buy things in the states because once we get to Canada, many items are ridiculously overpriced. We have found a gallon of milk for eight dollars! But then we have to put it all away in the RV!!! I will say that we do eat very well on our trips plus Doug loves to grill some awesome meals. I can't wait!
So thank you for joining us on our Florida to Alaska 2013 adventure. It's going to be exciting as we plan on going all the way to the Arctic Ocean in the Northwest Territories, Canada. And don't forget that you can comment on any of our posts, but it may take a day or two before you see them. We have to approve them prior to posting because we got strange posts in the past from unknown people. Welcome and here we go!!!!
I didn't let myself get too excited about our upcoming trip because for the last nine weeks I've had to deal with IV antibiotics here in Florida. But today, the day I never thought would get here, finally arrived and I'm thrilled to report no more IV line. In it's place I have neon pink wrap, thank you Lisa for getting that color for me, and it feels so strange not to see an IV in my arm. It was a very emotional and difficult nine weeks, but thank you to everyone at Dr. Wazny's office for your support. And along that part of my journey, I met some great people who I'm looking forward to keeping in touch with.
Now reality hits and I have to think about packing as we leave on Monday the 20th of May-that's only four days from today!! I have a good idea of what to take, but I can finally admit that I'm the queen of procrastination. There I said it!! And Monday is coming up way too quick.
The first leg of our trip takes us to Atlanta to visit with Doug's brother and his wife Angie for two nights. Then we head to Little Rock for two nights to see Doug's Mom and her husband Roy. Then for Memorial Day weekend, we go to Gun Barrel City, Texas which is outside of Dallas, to spend time with Glenn and his wife Etta. They have a beautiful lake house with two wave runners and a party boat. I can't wait to ride the wave runner. After the holiday weekend, we make our way to Phoenix to see Dan and Gayle then it's up to Flagstaff to get a few things. We're hoping to see several of our friends and hopefully have lunch or dinner with them. And finally we should arrive at my Mom's house in Santa Rosa, CA by June 3rd or 4th.
Once we arrive in Santa Rosa, we have a lot of work to get done before we leave for Alaska. The RV hasn't been out for months so we need to get it road ready as we have a long way before we get to Alaska. My favorite part of getting ready is shopping at Costco filling up the grocery cart and of course we splurge just a little! Better to buy things in the states because once we get to Canada, many items are ridiculously overpriced. We have found a gallon of milk for eight dollars! But then we have to put it all away in the RV!!! I will say that we do eat very well on our trips plus Doug loves to grill some awesome meals. I can't wait!
So thank you for joining us on our Florida to Alaska 2013 adventure. It's going to be exciting as we plan on going all the way to the Arctic Ocean in the Northwest Territories, Canada. And don't forget that you can comment on any of our posts, but it may take a day or two before you see them. We have to approve them prior to posting because we got strange posts in the past from unknown people. Welcome and here we go!!!!
Friday, May 10, 2013
The 2013 trip
Hello Blog Visitors - just wanted to let you know that Kim and I are getting ready for one more cross country trip. This time, we will be traveling all the way from Rotonda West, Florida to Alaska and back. The trip is tentatively scheduled to start on May 20th. Thanks for reading and we will keep you posted.
Sunday, August 5, 2012
The first Palmer stop - Genesse anyone?
We arrived in Palmer for the first time back on the 26th of July. After checking in at the RV Park we headed over to the Palmer Golf Course. I joined up with 2 other guys who were walking the course and on the second hole a single player riding a cart caught up with us. We let him play through and I couldn't help but notice that the basket on his cart was filled with Genny Cream Ale's. This really really surprised me as I hadn't seen Genesse Beer since leaving New York way back in 79.
I asked him if he had imported those from New York and he told me that ne had purchased them at a place called the Brown Jug right here in Wassilla Alaska. He also kindly offered myself and my playing partners a can, which of course I took him up on.
The next day we went to visit the Independence mine (I'll post some pics and a write up on that someday) then drove to the Brown Jug. The guy was right, Genny was everywhere!
I didn't even know there was a Genny Ice or Light!
Oh, and here's one more picture.
I asked him if he had imported those from New York and he told me that ne had purchased them at a place called the Brown Jug right here in Wassilla Alaska. He also kindly offered myself and my playing partners a can, which of course I took him up on.
The next day we went to visit the Independence mine (I'll post some pics and a write up on that someday) then drove to the Brown Jug. The guy was right, Genny was everywhere!
I didn't even know there was a Genny Ice or Light!
Oh, and here's one more picture.
Is? Was? apparently no difference in Alaska!
Happy Sunday
We are back in Palmer this Sunday morning. We stayed in Homer through Thursday morning, then we drove up and spent the night in Cooper Landing. (Map) We left Cooper Landing and, based on the campground reviews in Anchorage, we decided to head up here to Palmer. (Map)
The campground in Cooper Landing was a Princess Resort facility. It had a beautiful nature trail that we hiked. The trail went down a fairly steep hill and then followed the Kenai River. We did the hike in the morning then headed over to Portage Glacier and took the boat ride over to the glacier. Here's a couple pictures.
We got lucky with the weather (again) as it was a sunny day! After the boat ride we headed up towards Beluga Point on the Seward Highway then hung out and waited for the Bore tide to come in. What's a bore Tide? Follow this link.
We did all that on Friday - then we drove up to the campground and cooked dinner! What a long day.
Yesterday we drove into Anchorage and got to visit with my former employers Sam and Maggie Bliss. They live in Florida now but visit their daughter and her family ever summer so we got a chance to stop by and get some advice from Anchorage locals. After seeing them we went to the street fair/market in downtown Anchorage.
This morning marks the first day of the "head for home" phase of our trip. We should make it back to Tok today (Map). We need to be back in Santa Rosa by the 16th of August.
The campground in Cooper Landing was a Princess Resort facility. It had a beautiful nature trail that we hiked. The trail went down a fairly steep hill and then followed the Kenai River. We did the hike in the morning then headed over to Portage Glacier and took the boat ride over to the glacier. Here's a couple pictures.
We got lucky with the weather (again) as it was a sunny day! After the boat ride we headed up towards Beluga Point on the Seward Highway then hung out and waited for the Bore tide to come in. What's a bore Tide? Follow this link.
We did all that on Friday - then we drove up to the campground and cooked dinner! What a long day.
Yesterday we drove into Anchorage and got to visit with my former employers Sam and Maggie Bliss. They live in Florida now but visit their daughter and her family ever summer so we got a chance to stop by and get some advice from Anchorage locals. After seeing them we went to the street fair/market in downtown Anchorage.
This morning marks the first day of the "head for home" phase of our trip. We should make it back to Tok today (Map). We need to be back in Santa Rosa by the 16th of August.
Monday, July 30, 2012
Talkeetna
We arrived in Talkeetna on Wednesday the 24th and the mountain was out. We caught an exceptionally great time to be there as the weather was beautiful and the mountain stayed out the entire time we were there. Pictures? Here's a few.
Alaska Range at Sunset our first night there.
McKinley was out and spectacular so here's a picture of the mountain from the boat.
The following is a panoramic picture I took with my iPhone. Not to sure how it will look in the blog
It was then off to Palmer.
Alaska Range at Sunset our first night there.
Kim points out Mt. McKinley
Kim and I in front of the range.
And one final picture in the sunlight.
While in Talkeetna we also took a Jet Boat ride up the Sustina River. The final destination was the devil's gorge, a class 6 rapid! Here's the boat and a picture of me at the class 6.
McKinley was out and spectacular so here's a picture of the mountain from the boat.
On the way back the boat stopped and we took a guided walk through a replicated Athbascan fishing village. They also had a display showing an old school trappers cabin, which is pictured below.
The following is a panoramic picture I took with my iPhone. Not to sure how it will look in the blog
We got to see two new wildlife creatures while in Talkeetna. The first is this beaver who swam by while we were taking pictures of McKinley on our last day there.
We then saw this swan swimming gracefully across a lake on our way out of town.
It was then off to Palmer.
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