WE'RE HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We drove all day yesterday, through the California desert and about 20 miles before we were going to get to where we needed to exit the 99 freeway, we kept seeing "road closed" and "detour" signs. So we chose to get off early in Kingsburg and come home the way we used to before the new freeways were built. We later learned that we were so lucky to not have come through earlier as there was a 100 car pileup on the freeway. It was our lucky day to have made several stops along the way (for diesel and lunch) in which may have possibly saved our lives.

Rachel, Jeff, the boys and the dogs met us at Academy & Shaw and we said our "hello's" and took Ben, the 7 year old grandson, home with us. We were anxious to see the boys and Rachel was anxious for us to relieve her of at least one of them for the rest of the weekend. She is spoiled by having us live so close to her as we usually have one or both of the boys on the weekends and she had them for the past 7 weeks. Plus, Ben is helpful around the house, so we figured he could come in handy in emptying the motorhome.

We started into the foothills and I actually got butterflies in my stomach as I looked at all the beauty we take for granted. It is so beautfiul in the foothills with the Sierras as the backdrop. That is why we moved here and we've come to appreciate just how beautiful it really is by visiting the 30 states we traveled through on this trip. We are so fortunate to live in such beauty. We got home around 3pm and I couldn't wait to see Scruffy, my pound puppy, that we had to leave home with his grandparents. Even though we knew he was well taken care of, we missed him. As soon as we pulled in, he came running down the hill from their house so fast with the dirt kicking up behind him as he ran. First he saw Lincoln and ran excitedly over to him and then he noticed me and jumped over everything in his way to get over to me. He almost bowled me over. (He's pretty big, probably around 70 or so pounds.)

We went up to Joe & Glee's for a quick visit. Mike's Aunt Emma Jo was visiting from Phoenix, so we got to see her too. Then, we couldn't put off the inevitable any longer.....we went back down and begun empyting the MH.

Ooooh, the house looked so good and so huge. We worked for a few hours and then were exhausted. Mike went to bed by 8:00, I was still trying to wade thru 7 weeks of mail. I'd only gotten through a little bit and by 9:30, I couldn't stay awake any longer. It will all be there in the morning. Mike feels it will take him a week to get the MH and the property back in shape and I think it will take that long to wade thru the mail and the bills, etc. Oh well, small price to pay for a once in a lifetime trip that we were so fortunate to have been able to make.

In looking back on the trip, we've asked each other what our favorite places were. I truly loved Macinac Island in Michigan. Next to that, there really wasn't anything that I would care to see again. Mike can't say that there is anything he really cares to visit again. When I pushed him for an answer, he said perhaps Bar Harbor & the Acadia Nat'l Park in Maine and the Blue Ridge Mountains. We both agreed that we are mountain people and will have to do our vacationing where mountains are in sight.

I hope everyone enjoyed our travels.....almost as much as we did. I'm going to miss writing.....perhaps I'll create a blog about something else...hmmm....what could I write about....real estate perhaps????
Love,
Jeri

California here we come...right back where we started from!

We're back....in California at least. Its Friday evening and we're parked somewhere between Needles and Barstow in the middle of the desert off of the freeway. We traveled alot today, leaving from Grants, NM this morning, going all thru Arizona and now we're in CA.

We were so excited as we entered California...that is until we pulled off the freeway in Needles to look for diesel and were welcomed by the highest diesel prices we've ever seen in our lives....$3.89 per gallon! Yikes! When we left, the prices were around $2.85 and everywhere we went they were higher. We called Ron Sustaric at home to see what the prices are there and they are indeed cheaper than $3.89, but we don't have enough to last until Barstow where the prices are hopefully less. So Mike just put in about 10 gallons and still kicked himself until we parked for the night. Never has he paid that much for fuel in his life.

On a positive note....the mountains are so beautiful and its dry and clear. I love it. I love California. I can't believe tomorrow will be 7 weeks that we've been gone. Can anyone believe it? We made it! And we're still speaking? Of course....there's still a full day of driving ahead of us.

I SEE MOUNTAINS!

And that makes me very happy! We are camped out again in the Walmart parking lot; this time in Grants, New Mexico. We're not too far from the Arizona border.

It was once again a very long day of driving. We left Texas this morning shortly after 8am and got here tonight at 10:00pm. It was a very uneventful day.....Mike driving and me reading and sleeping. Oh....yes...I'm very relaxed. I can't say as much for Mike though.

I perked up as we neared Albuquerque when I started to see the mountains. Ooooh, I them them so. The humidity is back to what we are used to and my hair is back to normal and I also noticed that the rings on my fingers are loose. My fingers apparently swell when its humid.

Tomorrow will no doubt be another long day of driving, unless we find somewhere we'd like to explore. I'll keep you posted.

Ben, the Protector

So, I finally found out what happened at school that would make such a passive kid get into a fight....Apparently a kid was pushing a friend of Ben's around and he couldn't run away because he has braces on his legs. So Ben came to his defense and got into a fight with the bully kid....who Ben had thought was also his friend. He was able to go back to school today, but I think he should be praised instead of punished and the other kid should have a serious talking to.

Just thought I'd update ya'all (Texas talk) on what happened.

Still in the Lone Star State

We left Conroe, TX. late this morning and headed North and then West. It was a long day of driving...nothing exciting. I got to read the book I bought yesterday and Mike got to drive. Sounds pretty equal, doesn't it?

We're camped out in Walmart again in Wichita Falls, TX. and so we should be in New Mexico tomorrow....probably another day of driving. Sorry there's nothing exciting to report! Happy Halloween.

An enjoyable day with Fred & Beth

We spent the day with Fred & Beth just hanging out. We visited in the motorhome for a while and then went to lunch. We requested Mexican food (of course) and they said there are alot of good Mexican restaurants around, but took us to one of their favorites called "Chuys". It was delicious!!!! Mike thinks it was better than the Elko, NV. restaurant, but I don't agree. Either way, it was a great lunch.

After lunch, we went on a hunt for a book store as I was looking for a particular book. We eventually found it at Barnes & Noble. I wanted a good book to read on our long drive home thru the deserts!

We came back to the MH and visited until dark and then they had to leave because Fred worked all night and only slept 2 hours this morning. He really needed to go home to sleep.
We had a very enjoyable, relaxing day. It was a nice visit. We hope they come out our way to visit in the near future.

Right after they left, I got a call from Rachel saying that Ben got kicked out of school today! My perfect Ben! I cannot believe that. I wish I was home to talk to him. Apparently he was in a fight at school....which doesn't sound like him at all. I can't wait to hear the details as Rachel learns them. She just found out as she left work and got the messages on her cell phone. (She's not allowed to have her cell on at work.) He is going to miss out on all the Halloween parties tomorrow at school. So being kicked out of school during this particular week is extra bad. He can go back on Thursday. Stay tuned for details....

We're in Conroe, Texas

We made it to Conroe, Tx. by mid-afternoon after about a 3 hour drive from where we were camped out in a Marshall, Tx. Walmart. We found a nice campground near Fred's house and chose a private spot that they call "a premium lake front lot". We laughed when we saw the spot. It was very nice, but the lake is really a pond. Oh well, it looks pretty.

We quickly set-up the MH and then spent the rest of the day at Fred & Beth's home. Lincoln went too. It was the first time met his Texas dog relatives as they have two large dogs. Of course, Lincoln thought he was big and tough....but they all got along fine after the initial nervousnes of meeting new dogs.

It was good to see Fred & Beth. They are both looking good, Fred as thin as always. Mike commented that you can't tell they're related! Fred barbequed rib-eye steaks and made garlic bread from the bread that he personally made. He works at a large Texas supermarket in the bakery dept. Dinner was good as well as the Texas ice cream called Blue Bell. We left their home late and headed back "home". We planned to meet tomorrow and spend the day together. Fred has to go into work tonight at 11:00pm and work until 7:30am....so we'll see tomorrow what time he's ready to get together. While we wait for them to call us, we'll sit and enjoy our "lake views".
"

We're in our 28th state!

That's the big ole state of Texas!

We left Hot Springs this morning and headed towards Crater of Diamonds State Park, about an hour and a half away. The weather was perfect and it was a bright, sunny day. We walked around the visitor center, admiring all the photos of the diamonds that have been found there, including a 1.55 carat found just last week! We felt out of place after seeing people coming in with their digging gear. Apparently these were serious diamond seekers. They said that some diamonds are just found laying on top of the dirt, some are found with minor dirt moving and others with serious digging.

So, we just headed out there hoping of course to find diamonds just waiting for us to see them. That didn't happen. We turned down a row and I found a spot and just started kicking the dirt with my shoes. I found some rocks and bent down to inspect and fell over. That would have made a funny video, but we didn't bring the camera in with us....just the digital. And, we forgot to take photos at that! Hoping no one saw me fall, I just sat down and starting digging with my fingers. Mike was looking elsewhere, so luckily he didn't see me fall either, so I was saved from being made fun of. I really got into it. I loved playing in the dirt. I wished I had a trowel or something to use. I found a small rock and dug with that. Then Mike saw me digging away and gave me his pocket knife to use. He wasn't too enthusiatic and wanted to leave. He was tired and hungry and kept asking me how long I was going to dig. So, I only dug for about a half hour and quit. If I had been prepared, I could have dug for hours. I found some rocks for the grandsons and I to clean and check out....but nothing that looks like diamonds. So we left as diamond poor as we came in. Oh well. It was an experience. Sorry Mom....no diamonds!

Then we continued on our journey south and ended up in another Walmart parking lot in Marshall, TX. We're probably about 4 hours from Conroe, TX., where we are headed tomorrow to visit Mike's son Fred.

We're still in Hot Springs, Arkansas

Well, today was rather a boring day for those wanting some exciting information.
Both of us were feeling drained...I think all of the traveling has caught up to us and on the same day! Good news....it NOT humid! The weather is absolutely perfect. I actually had a good hair day.
We didn't even even leave the MH til about 11:00 and then headed out to find this Mexican restaurant that is advertised as the best Mexican food in the entire State of Arkansas. So....I had to try it. It took us a while to find it, getting lost twice. We found it, yeah! Anyway, it started off well with very good chips and so-so salsa. Actually, my food was good. Mike didn't care for his too much and brought part of it home for Lincoln. Lincoln loved it by the way.

Then we decided to drive into the Hot Springs Nat'l Park, expecting to find spectacular sights as in most National Parks. However, we drove and drove and realized that all the shops and things we kept seeing WERE the National Park. We can't really understand why they call it a National Park other than the hot springs that they've apparently turned into resorts. Oh well.

After driving all around and feeling drained, we decided to come back and do laundry. We had 5 loads to do. Or should I say "I" had 5 loads to do. Several hours later, laundry clean, we ventured into town to find dinner. (Too tired to cook too.) We found a cheap Chinese buffet and ate there. It was good for the price. Although we feel hungry now just an hour later!

I'm filling in alot of my time working. I know...I'm not supposed to work. However, I love my work and I love helping people find what they are looking for or getting my listings sold. I'm working on some deals and that's keeping me busy while Mike relaxes and watches TV.

BUT, tomorrow I'm looking forward to something that is exciting to me. And MOM, you're going to be jealous. We're going to the only DIAMOND mine in the United States. Its about an hour from where we are now and you better believe we'll be going there! I bet I'll keep you all checking in tomorrow to see if I'm rich with diamonds! Stayed Tuned,
Jeri

OK, so now we're in Arkansas!

So, its not somewhere I ever envisioned myself going.....however, since we are heading back west via Texas, it made sense to go via Arkansas. We are heading towards the Houston area to visit Fred, Mike's son.

We left the nice campground in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee after taking a walk around the area. It was a nice campground with lots of picnic areas. I wish we had areas like that near us. It was very inviting for get-togethers. We just decided to keep heading west on route 64...a scenic byway. It was a long day of driving. the terrain in parts of Tenn. was nice and rolling and then flattened out and was flat all the way thru Arkansas. We went thru Little Rock and then veered southwest towards Hot Springs National Park. We figured that we may as well check out another National Park even tho we never thought of doing so. It started getting a little hilly as we grew closer to the park area. It was dark and found a KOA near the park. We got settled in the nice park and were told that we can even order pizza to be delivered to our MH! Can you believe how we are roughing it? I ordered the pizza and it was delivered about 25 minutes later and can you believe, it was one of the best pizza's I've ever had! Wow. What a pleasure and a surprise at that.

We ate and then I had to take Lincoln out for a walk. The weather is absolutely perfect. It was 8:30pm and 67 degrees and perfect. Great sleeping weather. I love it. We'll check out the Nat'l. Park tomorrow. I'll keep you posted.

It's Tennessee today!

We left our Walmart campground in Perry, GA. this morning and headed north. We had no idea where we were going...so we just went north. We decided to get into Tennessee and then get on the side, scenic roads going West in Tenn. As soon as we entered Tennessee, the rolling hills began. Gone were the flatlands. The further west we went, we started seeing the green trees turning colors. The homes started getting more stately too; large, beautiful and statuesque on huge green lots. I must say, it was pretty impressive.

We ended up in Lawrenceburg, TN. at the Davey Crockett State Park. Its a very nice campground. Apparently this is where Davey Crockett was from and eventually became a Congressman in the early 1800's. I didn't know he was a real person before today. I thought he was a fictional character. (Well, I was known to sleep thru History classes!)

Anyway, we'll probably leave in the morning and head towards Memphis and then who knows where. It was a pretty uneventful day otherwise. Mike caught me sleeping several times during his long driving day. (Note the photo on the right.)

We're in Georgia now.

We went to the beach shortly after 8:00 this morning. It was already 78 degrees. We found this other beach where you could drive right onto the beach. That was cool. We walked over to the water and I got in up to my knees. Mike had enough just at his ankles and had enough after 5 minutes. (He's not a huge ocean person.) I talked him into walking along the water (me up to my knees and him just around his feet) for about 20 minutes and then we had enough and left. The sand was so soft and the water was warm. Still, there was no "ocean smell" that we have on the Pacific. No one has been able to tell us why? Its really bothering us not knowing why.

Anyway, we packed up and left after deciding to head to Tennessee. Tonight we are about and hour and a half south of Atlanta, camped in a Walmart parking lot. When we pulled in, we noticed a BBQ place right there too! Guess what we had for dinner? Finger licking good ribs. Actually, they were "OK". The macaroni and cheese it came with was very good.

After dinner, our big night ended up with us shopping at Walmart! What a nice evening in Georgia. We finally hit rain about 5 minutes after we left our campground this morning. Then it was off and on for most of the drive north. It got scary at times.

I had Mike take a photo of my "growing hair" today. I wish I wouldn have thought about taking a picture in the past week when its really been huge. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy it. Please note that I am sitting at the table in the MH with the computer in front of me in the Walmart parking lot.

We're in Florida

We left Charleston this morning to head south. No real destination.....just south. We were hoping to find less humid weather...but it wasn't looking that way as we continued on our drive south.

We went thru the eastern part of Georgia and entered Florida. It started getting late and we

ended up finding a campground in St. Augustine, FL., which is south of Jacksonville. It was even hotter and about the same humidity. So, we settled into the MH, turned on the air and just vegged out. I don't remember if I mentioned a while back the the front air conditioner stopped working. I may not have mentioned it because it was a non-issue due to the cool weather we had in the northeast. But, now it IS an issue since we're into the hot, muggy weather. Luckily, once we stop driving and get the diesel engine from producing heat, we are able to cool down the whole MH just from running the bedroom A/C.

So, we were cooled down and relaxed and Mike suggested we take a drive to check out the beach. I was up for that because I'd at least like to say I had my feet in the Atlantic ocean and see what it feels like. We took the Jeep for a 15 minute drive to the beach, by now it was almost dark. The sign said no dogs were allowed, so Mike said he'd stay at the car and I could go dip my feet in the water. (We couldn't leave Lincoln in the car because it was too hot.)

WOW! I could not believe it! The sand is white and soft, not hard on the feet like the Pacific Ocean sands. Then I walked to the water and WOW again! It was so warm! I didn't want to leave! I wanted to just stay there for hours! Can you believe that this 50 year old never felt this kind of beach before? We're going to head back to the beach first thing in the AM tomorrow, leaving Lincoln in the MH. I'll let you know how it is.

A funny thing happened though when we got back from the drive to the beach. We pulled up to the MH, I opened the door and my glasses fogged up!!!! I've never had that happen like that before. It was certainly weird (and humid).

Late night update: Its about 10:20pm and I just took Lincoln out before I went to bed. Its still 81 degrees out and probably 90% humidity. I was out just 3 minutes with him and my skin was wet and clammy. We are so spoiled in our dry climate, but this makes me love it even more.

Last day in Charleston, SC

We stayed in Charleston yet another day today. It was hot and humid. The 80+ degrees wouldn't be so bad if not for the humidity. It sure makes us appreciate where we live. AND, I have not had a good hair day in so long. Not only does Mike laugh at my crazy hair, it makes me laugh hysterically. Its wild and huge! I am also being eaten alive by mosquitos. I just took Lincoln out for a 4 minute bathroom walk and I have about 6 bites!

We started out our day going on the Harbor cruise of Historic Charleston. It was nice. If I have to compare, for those of you who haven't been on the east coast, the West is much better. The harbor cruise we took in Seattle a couple of years ago was so much more interesting with so many beautiful sights than anything we've seen here. Oh well. We wouldn't know unless we tried it. This trip is given us a great appreciation for the West. And still...we were on the Atlantic ocean today and NO smell? No one has given us an answer as to why there is no ocean smell?

After our cruise, we went down to Market Street to do some shopping. It was so funny because we are not used to paying for parking. So when we felt fortunate to find a parking space on one of these tiny city streets, we parked, got out of the car, and started walking to the shopping area. We were gone about 45 minutes when all of a sudden it dawned on me that we didn't put any money in the parking meter! Our hearts started racing thinking that either we were going to find a ticket on our windshield or find our car towed away! We were afraid to look as we got closer. I got there first and saw the car and no ticket. Then I went to the meter and you wouldn't believe it.....there was ONE MINUTE left on it! Apparently whoever parked there before us still had time on it and we got back with one minute to spare. Can you believe it?
We felt fortunate and hungry so we found a place called "Tbone Bar & Grill" and went for lunch. It was very good. I had a shrimp salad and it was the best shrimp I have ever had.

After shopping and our late lunch, we decided to go back home rest and get in the airconditioning. We stayed there the rest of the day. OH, and I got my e-mail fixed, finally. So feel free to e-mail! Tomorrow we'll be leaving and heading towards Florida. We'll let you know where we end up.

Tours in Charleston, SC

We took two tours today. The first was of the Bigelow tea growers. Their place is called "Charleston Tea Plantation". You probably heard of Bigelow tea, but perhaps not Charleston Tea Plantation. It is the only place in North American that grows and processes and packs the tea all in one place. Because the area is so hot and humid, it is the perfect place to grow the tea. We toured the factory where it goes from picking the tea leaves you see in one of the photos on the right, to processing and packing them. We learned that green tea takes very little processing, then Oolong tea that we normally get in a Chinese restaurant, takes the next amount of processing and finally, black tea, takes the most. However, the most is about 18 hours. So it goes from picking to processing that quickly for the longest procesing tea.

From there, we went to Historic downtown Charleston. We signed up for a small bus tour of the downtown area and for a harbor cruise. We didn't have time today for the cruise, so we will take that tomorrow. We had to chose between a bus tour or a buggy tour, but after we saw the people packed on the buggy like sardines, we decided to take the bus tour. We saw some beautiful historic homes. As tour guides go, they can either make or break a tour and this guy kind of broke it for us. He drove the bus and talked at the same time, so he wasn't very enthusiastic and quite monotone and sometimes hard to understand. I watched people around us and they were also making comments about him. But, we just concentrated on the sights and tuned him in and out as needed.

Sometime between the tea tour and the bus tour, Mike got a headache. It apparently got worse and by the end of the tour, he couldn't stand the pain anymore. We had planned to go to this ribs restaurant that is supposedly the best ribs around, called "Sticky Fingers." We did go, but he couldn't eat. So I ate a little bit and then boxed up the rest to take back home. As soon as we got back to the MH, he took some Advil and went to bed. He slept for several hours and woke up feeling much better.

Tomorrow we will go on the harbor cruise. I am really looking forward to that. I love cruises....no matter how big or small the boat is or how short the ride is!

We made it to CHARLESTON, SC.

We came to Charleston by way of Myrtle Beach, SC. We wanted to check it out as we've heard of Myrtle Beach, but didn't know what it was about. Well.....you really couldn't get to the beaches unless you were at one of the hotels. It seems that these large hotels monopolize the beachfront. The town itself was just tourist trap after tourist trap....so we decided to move on to our original destination of Charleston. One good thing is that the weather is so beautiful. It was about 80, sunny and clear. BUT, we still don't smell the ocean. Doesn't the Atlantic ocean have that ocean smell that we are so accustomed to on the West Coast? Does anyone know? Its a very strange feeling to be at the ocean and not have that wonderful smell! And that's especially strange for my native Californian husband.

I neglected to mention what we were looking for while checking out the town and at the same time see the beach.....a Mexican restaurant! I've gone thru withdrawals after almost 4 weeks with no Mexican food and as we were driving closer to Myrtle Beach, we started seeing advertisements for Mexican restaurants. By the time we got there...I NEEDED Mexican food. Nothing else would do. Well, we found them....however, none of them seemed to open until dinner! We started out at 10am, thinking we'd have breakfast....then it was lunchtime and so we were sure they'd open for lunch...but..oh no.....for some stupid reason, they all chose to open for dinner. By this time, we were really starving and I reallllly needed Mexican food. I was ready to settle for Taco Bell, I was so desparate. Then we couldn't even find a Taco Bell!!!!

Now it was around 1:00 and we decided to just go back to where we had parked the MH, reattached the Jeep and headed to Charleston. We were about 10 minutes out of Myrtle Beach and lo and behold...there was a Mexican restaurant that was open! Mike didn't even have to ask. He pulled the motorhome into the adjoining shopping center parking lot and I was out the door! I have to say....it was sooooo good! And pretty cheap to! Oh, I felt so much better and was once again, a "happy camper".

We arrived in Charleston, after going over some very high (and scary) bridges and stumbled across an RV park. It is very reasonably priced, has cell phone and internet reception, but no satellite. Oh well. There's nothing on Saturday's anyway. We ended up watching a movie that I bought at one of the Walmarts on clearance.....The General's Daughter. It was pretty good.

Oh, before we watched the movie, we went for a walk, but had to cut it short as the mosquitos were enjoying me for dinner. Mike didn't even get one bite, as ususal. I guess its my sweet blood. We've picked up a bunch of brochures of things to do and there's so much to see....you'll have to stayed tuned to see what we end up doing. I think we'll be here for a few days at least.
Until tomorrow...
Jeri

No photos today...driving all day.

We made alot of distance today as we left Virginia, drove thru North Carolina (there wasn't anything we really wanted to see there) and went half way thru South Carolina.

We kept hearing about tornados to the south and west of us and we were trying to get out of the pathways of any bad storms. Apparently we outran them as it is almost 9:30pm and we are once again camped out at a Walmart, this time in Florence, South Carolina,. Its not too far from the coast. We will get there in the morning. However, its still 77 degrees and about 80% humidity.

I spotted a nice looking steak house not too far from Walmart, so we went there for dinner. Everything about the meal was fantastic. From the Ranch dressing on my salad, the great homemade whole wheat bread and to the unbelievable steaks we had. No complaints here....except when the bill came. Actually, the prices were pretty comparable to any steakhouse we normal go to. Mike ordered a Margarita, so I thought I would order a drink. For those of you who know me well.....I do not drink. But, I was relaxed and daring, so I chose a Pina Colada. I thought I couldn't go wrong with that sweet choice. Well, that too was excellent and I drank it all. However, a short time later I started to notice that I was getting a hot flash.....and I haven't gotten hot flashes.....so.....now I've got one more reason not to drink! (And I'll save alot of money and calories too!)

Lincoln always gets excited when he sees us carrying a "white box" when we come home from eating out. He saw the box and then got a whiff of the steaks inside and went crazy. He was so excited that I felt guilty about not giving it to him. But it was so good, we are looking forward to the left overs for lunch tomorrow! Sorry Lincoln.

After dinner I went into Walmart to look for a Temperpdic pillow for Mike. Not for his head...but for his rear end. You see, ever since we left, it seems that when he sits for more than a half an hour driving, he gets a pain in his lower back that radiates down his hip and to his rear end and down his leg. It seems he has a pinched nerve and all the driving is aggrevating it. So, we thought that if he sat on one of those pillows, it may help relieve some of the pressure. I'll let you know how it works tomorow!

Oh, while Mike was doing all this driving thru the states today, I was daydreaming about my next vacation! Its been just about 5 weeks already and I'm liking vacations! Anyway, Rachel has booked a weekend cruise to Mexico on Feb. 29th on Royal Carribean, Friday-Monday to celebrate her 30th birthday. So...I started thinking that I would join her and take Lauri with me as a gift for her upcoming 50th birthday. (She doesn't want a party). I talked to David and he wants to go too. So.....anyone who wants to join us,let me know. The more the merrier and the prices are great. Anywhere from $229. per person on up...depending on the cabin you book. Its pretty cheap for room and board and entertainment! Lets plan a big gathering that weekend! Come on everyone!

Quick Comment

If anyone tried to e-mail me and it was returned to you...try it again. I called my e-mail server and he said that if my trash was full, then it was reject any new e-mails. So, I emptied the trash and hopefully I can get all of your e-mails.

Thanks,
Jeri

Blue Ridge Mountains

We hardly slept last night as the traffic going by the Walmart campground (parking lot) was soooo loud. We country folk are not used to all the traffic noise plus Mike discovered that it was at a lighted intersection going uphill, so everyone had to rev their engines as they started from the green light. Mike fell asleep quickly at first (from driving exhaustion) so I was left to my own accord.

Leaving this fraidycat awake alone in a busy parking lot left me constantly watching out the windows. As it was getting quite dark, I noticed a trashed out van parked nearby and facing our motorhome. I saw two people sitting in it for quite some time and I started to wonder what they were doing. So I got out the binaculars and tried to play detective and watch them without being spotted. It was quite funny if anyone had seen me. I'm glad they didn't. Nothing ever came of it and I went to be around 11:30 with a headache from the binoculars. I think all the adjustments I did to see clearly hurt my eyes and then my head!

So, we arose early and left to tour the Blue Ridge Mountain Range today. It was a feast for our eyes as the leaves were changing and were beautiful. The reds were so vibrant it was unreal. We took video and photos but after looking at the photos to download, I noticed that the camera didn't capture the colors. I hope the video did because they were awesome.

We decided to end the day early and found a quiet campground in Roanoke, VA. Its in Southern Virginia. Tomorrow we'll continue south and into North Carolina and then into South Carolina. Our next destination is Charleston, SC.

We're in Virginia

We took a tour in Gettysburg yesterday and drove around ourselves, checking out the town. There's alot of interesting homes. Alot of them have the plate on the front of them certifying that they were there during the infamous civil war in 1863. Can you imagine they're still standing?

We left today, heading south. We drove thru the Western section of Maryland & a part of West Virginia and now we're in Charlottesville, Virginia. We're going to drive along the Blue Ridge Mountains tomorrow. Today was a long driving day. We're parked/camped once again in the Walmart parking lot. We actually found a great buffet restaurant down the road. All the food was great and there was so much to choose from. We couldn't possibly taste it all, but it was well worth the try!