An Unplanned Stop

We are always feeling the pressure of time on this trip and it is especially hard to be near people that there just isn't time to see. That is how we felt as we were driving thru South Dakota. We have lots of family here that we would dearly love to see but there simply wasn't time to plan it in. We really have to blitz across to the west side of the State.

Heading West on I-90 we did stop in Mitchell to show Taryn the Corn Palace - the ultimate shrine to agriculture. She was here in 1995 at only 3 months old and doesn't remember it, so we just had to show her. We only had time to drive by and snap a picture but it was fun to show her. It's one of those things you have to see to believe, if you know what i mean. Later that day we read to her about it's signifigance and it made much more sense.

Back on the road we passed the exit for Platte which is where our relatives live. I commented to Gary that it is pretty hard to pass it by and not even say hi. Well, we just couldn't do it so we pulled off at the next exit and did a bit of replanning and made a few calls and then drove back to Platte.

My Dad was born in South Dakota and we were here two years ago for a Dykstra family reunion which is always so much fun. We were so excited to at least be able to stop and say hi to whoever we could find around. No one here even knew we were traveling so this was a very unexpected visit by us.

We first stopped in town at the Kings Inn Motel owned by a cousin Ben T. He was able to help refresh our driving directions to the other relatives. We then ate lunch at Booms diner and they let us use their phone to make a few local calls. We were able to find Joe Dykstra at home and he urged us to come right out. We had parked our motor home there in '92 and he graciously offered for us to stay there again.

On our way out there we did stop for a bit at Anne T.'s farm. She welcomed us right in and we had a fun visit at her kitchen table. We also stopped at Sarah V.'s but she is out of town so we went on out to Joe's farm.

Joe had just baked some wonderul cookies so we enjoyed a fun visit with him and were really impressed by his cookies too. Vonnie was shopping and "rummaging" with her granddaughters but was bringing pizza home for a quick dinner together which was so nice. Jow called around to a few other cousins and we had an improptue pizza party with them that eveing.

It was much fun and we enjoyed many stories and hearty laughs. We were so thankful for their generous and warm hospitality having no notice we were coming. At 9:30 we prepared to leave again. It was tempting to stay but knew the drive facing us tomorrow since we had spent this day here.

Mall Madness!

Steve had to work today so Mary was gracious enough to spend her day with us. We were all able to fit in her van and traveled to the Mall of America. When you're in Minnesota ya gotta do the Mall of America!

This place is huge! It is the nation's largest fully enclosed retail and family entertainment complex with more than 500 stores and employing over 12,000 people. Think about it - if you took just 10 minutes in every store it would take you more than 86 hours to shop it all. Ya gotta love Minnesota for coming up with this!

We even got there minutes before it opened and for the first time in his life Gary was waiting at the door of Macy's for them to unlock unlock and open. Wish I had taken a picture of that!

I had a single focus - to shop. I have several significant events coming up - my anniversary, my class reunion and my son's wedding all in the next 47 days. I had no time to waste and just wanted to go!

While I shopped Mary and the kids gave Gary and Taryn the official tour of the amusement park located in the center of the mall complex. There are seven acres of fun here including over 30 rides and attractions, a four-story interactive LEGO display, and the Underwater Adventure Aquarium with over 4,500 sea creatures. They had a blast and I didn't even hear from them till lunch time. After a quick bite they went right back to it...and I continued to shop.

A huge highlight of the day was Aunt Mary treating Taryn, Patrick and Ashlee to select, assemble and dress their very own stuffed animal at the Build-A Bear store. It was fun to see each of their personalities expressed in their choice. This was a most special gift to Taryn and she has loved on her bear ever since. It is rarely out of her arms.

We met back at the van at 4 pm and then hit some rushhour traffic on our drive home. We had a completely sunny day, but back in St. Paul a major rain storm with sever thunder and lightening had hit. We came home to a downpour that reeked some havoc with our awning. Gary and Steve worked in the pounding rain to secure everything while Mary put dinner together.

After another wonderful home cooked meal with them we had to say good bye and head West. It was hard to leave. We had much fun together and really enjoyed our time there so much. We drove till 1:30 AM making it to Sioux Falls South Dakota.

Family Fun

Steve took the day off today and we look forward to seeing the area with them and enjoying an adventure. Taryn had no desire to go anywhere. She just loves being with the kids and in a real home. They have a wonderful backyard filled with all the things kids enjoy: swimming pool, trampoline, swings, climbing wall, a four wheeler, bikes, paintball guns, BB guns, water balloon sling shots... She was not too happy when we decided to leave for an adventure.

Mary assembled a wonderful picnic lunch for us to enjoy and we headed off in two vehicles for Boom Island Park. As we drove Mary pointed out the local landmarks and also the buildings downtown where she and Steve use to work. The city is very beautiful.

Boom Island is located in the heart of the Minneapolis Historic District and juts out into the Mississippi River. We are once again by the Mississippi river. Gary, Taryn and I had fun later counting how many states we have seen it from just on this trip!

From Boom Island we boarded the Minneapolis Queen for a cruise on the Mississippi River that took us thru the lock at St. Anthony Falls. It was a beautiful day and a delightful way to see the Minneapolis skyline. After our cruise we enjoyed our picnic in the park.

Steve smoked the most amazing chicken and ribs for our dinner and we enjoyed a feast of corn on the cob as well. The kids were in the backyard all evening enjoying all the fun stuff and it was such a nice evening.

Patrick and Ashlee asked if Taryn could have a sleep over with them and jumped up and down when I gave permission. The three of them had a great time together. Can't believe this is our last nite here.

The Blessing of Family!

Monday was all about driving across Wisconsin and into Minnesota. We are very excited to visit Gary's brother Steve in St, Paul. Steve has a wonderful wife Mary, and three beautiful children - Patrick, Ashlee and Christian. They have lived here for many years and this is our first visit.

Traveling into St. Paul we were struck by what a beautiful area they live in. Surrounded by fertile farm land and fields of corn. We pulled off at a farm fruit stand and bot a dozen ears of corn so we could enjoy corn on the cob together.

As we drove up to their home about 6 pm we saw a wonderful welcome written in chalk on the driveway. They all came out to greet us and it was so fun to see how much their children has grown. This was the first time we have met little Chrstian and he is adorable.

Their home is so beautiful, warm and inviting. Mary had graciously prepared a wonderful dinner for us and we were so blessed to sit at their family table after such a long time on the road.

Our bbow fit neatly on the edge of their driveway and we were all set up in no time and looking forward to spending the next two days together.

We Love Chicago!!

Taryn got up early and was able to do a bit of fishing while I made breakfast and then we prepared to leave. Today we headed into Chicago without a real plan in place. Gary had a dream of running along the waterfront of Lake Michigan. He would also love to go to the top of the Sears Tower. Me...I felt the shopping call of the "Magnificent Mile".

Getting into Chicago was great, but parking the bbow was another story. At most places they just laughed at us and wished us luck...without much sincerity I might add. But a Honcoop doesn't give up easily so undaunted Gary pressed on. At this point we were by the beautiful and ginormous (thanks Ross!) Lake Michigan and our immediate goal became to get down to the water.

Honcoop persistence finally paid off and we bot two parking spaces in a lot next to the Field Museum and prepared for the beach. Gary spotted the beautiful path along the water he dreamed of and convinced Taryn to start out on her roller blades. We went along that path and were completely captivated by the sun, the beach, the people, the experience...We walked all the way to Navy Pier.

By this time we were beginning to understand what Traci and Mark & Kels are always saying about Chicago - it is a most amazing and beautiful city! We were blown away by the magnificent architecture of the buildings, the beautiful flowers, parks and fountains, its stunning canal thru the city... Every time we went around a corner we were amazed all over again.

After lunch we split up. Gary took the water taxi thru the canal to the Sears Tower so he could "view the world". Taryn and I walked to Michigan Avenue so we could shop the "magnificent mile". What fun!

We regrouped at a Borders Books several Hours later. We had in our minds to enjoy authentic deep dish Chicago pizza for dinner. Gary wanted an SBC latte so he handed me the name of a pizza place he heard was good and the responsibility to ask someone where we could find it. Now I don't have that "social butterfly" gene that makes a project like that easy for me. In fact, I was not sure where to even start this task but started to walk as I watched him float up the escalator towards the comfort of his latte. I was feeling anything but comfort.

There was a Borders employee across the way that I was initially and hesitantly heading for, but then an amazing thing happened - there in front of me were the travel books for Chicago. Instantly I grabbed one and looked up "deep dish pizza". I had it - names, addresses, phone numbers all written out when Gary got back. We decided on one and then asked a security guard which way to walk. This was great! ...except he said "right" when he really meant "left". Not knowing any better we confidently walked numerous blocks to the right - which was wrong. We were hot, tired and exasperated but tuned around and walked back again.

Pizzaria Due had a line out the door and we had to wait nearly an hour but did get in and really enjoyed our authentic deep dish experience at this Chicago legend. By the time we left it was long past time for any free shuttle options so we had to walk back to our bbow - probably 30 plus blocks back. Altho is was a long walk it was also an amazing walk. We enjoyed seeing this incredible city at night. The canal was lovely, buildings were lit in such a way to perfectly accentuate their architecture, the gardens and fountains were exquisite.

And then we came to Buckingham Fountain. Spectacular by day it was absolutely breathtaking by night! One of the largest fountains in the world it has been a popular Chicago attraction since 1927. At 10 pm each nite the water display is accompanied by a major light and music display. This was going on as we arrived. To our delight the music was patriotic. We were mesmerized and so very blessed to hear the words "America, America God shed His grace on thee" boldly sung. We were filled with pride.

The only component missing from our evening was ice cream. There by the fountain was an ice cream truck still selling ice cream at 10:30 pm. We ran up there all excited looking at the selection when it suddenly hit us that we had but one five dollar bill of left. There we stood with not enough money to even get two ice creams. We began to back away when the man offered ice cream to all three of us for our five dollar bill. We said no but he absolutely insisted. What a blessing at the end of a such a long walk!

It was after 11 pm by the time we made it back to the bbow, and we still had a long way to drive. Thankfully traffic was light at this time of nite and we were able to maneuver ourselves out of Chicago. Several toll roads later we were on our way. At 1:30 AM we stopped for the night near Rockport.

Happy Anniversary!

Today is Britt and Shana's first wedding anniversary and they are on our hearts today. What special memories we cherish of the events of one year ago today! We want them to know how much we love them, how often we pray for them, and how thankful and blessed we are!

Two Ways to Race

We got out on time this morning and drove to Churchill Downs in Louisville to see the Kentucky Derby Museum. Of all things they had a rock concert happening tonite so we were not allowed to even see the track. That totally bites, but we really did enjoy the museum.

Did you know that Churchill Down was built by Meriweather Lewis Clark Jr., the grandson of William Clark of the Lewis and Clark expedition? He came back from a trip to Europe in 1872 with the idea to build a track in the United States that would rival the Epsom Derby he enjoyed in Europe. The name Churchill Downs is after his relatives who provided the land for him.

The first Kentucky Derby was run on May 17, 1875. Since then this famed race of three-year-old thoroughbred horses is staged yearly in Louisville, Kentucky on the first Saturday in May.

In the museum we also learned about the first year of a thoroughbred horses life which was most interesting, and also about the disciplines of a jockey's life.

Back on the road we traveled as quickly as we could to Indianapolis Speedway. Since we were in the neighborhood Gary thought we should check it out. It is a most impressive structure. To get to it's visitors center you actually drive underneath the race track. The bad news was we got there at 4:52 and it closed at 5 PM so Gary only got a glimpse of it.

We drove all the way thru to Gary, Indiana and decided that would be an appropriate place to call it a night. Unfortunately our "resort" turned out to be a disaster - over 900 site, most seemed to be filled with long-term "resorters", kids running in packs [and smoking packs] with boom boxes blasting every sort of music imaginable.

It was 10 PM so we called it a day, watched some Funniest Home Videos together and then ran the air conditioner thru the nite to dull the noise to a reasonable level. This was the worst "resort" experience, in my humble opinion.

Content in Kentucky

We are so content here in Kentucky we decided to add a day and enjoy some more of the horse show. Gary had some work to do so he stayed at the bbow while Taryn and I went to the show. By the time he called for us to come pick him up it had started to rain. Thankfully we were well equipped with rain slickers after Niagara Falls so we went right back out there. There were many new riders today

Taryn has this amazing way of meeting people. She can strike up a conversation comfortabaly with almost anyone...and she did. She'd compliment their ride or their horse or ask a question about something and often a conversation started. It cracked me up when riders began to wave to her from their horse when they would see her, or would just come over and talk with her. It was amazing...and just so Taryn.

And then there is my other social butterfly. He would take the golf cart and go around meeting people. Once I called him he had a couple in the golf cart with him giving them a tour of the Kentucky Horse Park. They were from Belgum and had just few hours so he offered to show them around. They were so thankful.

We watched the youngest riders riding in their age level competitions and that was too cute. There was a four year old who came from St. Louis [a five hour drive] to compete in her first national show.

Later in the afternoon Taryn and I went to the head office of the United States Pony Club. Taryn has been a Pony Club member for two years. I did not realize their office was at the Kentucky Horse Park. What a treat that was. Their National Show is being held here next week. They loved meetinga Pony Club member from Washington state. We are quite a novelty here on the other coast.

The miniture horses were also showing today in the big covered arena so we went over there and watched them while we ate a late lunch. They are so incredibly tiny and pulling the sweetest little carts. Lots of fun to see

Back at the outdoor arenas they were progressively raising the jumps and the competition was at quite a different caliber. This was amazing to watch. Taryn and I would take turns trying to capture the jump on our digital camera. I think we got some good shots and can't wait to see them on the computer to see how we did.

We had to return our little golf cart and get everything packed up as much as possible so we can slip out quickly in the morning. It will be hard to leave here. this has been a really fun place to be and we have enjoyed it all so much. I really hope to come back here soon.

This place is definitely on our "highly recommended" list.

Hunter Jumper Show

What an amazing day this was! We spent most of our time at the show watching riders of all levels competing in jumping and show events. We could walk from one arena right over to the next one and just enjoy it all. There are some magnificent horses here, and there is simply nothing like a properly dressed English rider. They have a poise and dignity all their own that is both striking and beautiful.

In the afternoon we took in a few Horse Park events. We watched the Hall of Champions seeing some of the great race horses who are retired here at Kentucky Park. Cigar was our favorite. He had an amazing career and is just so regal and beautiful.

Next we watched the Parade of Breeds where unusual horse breeds are presented with riders dressed in native costume. This was a great presentation. The most regal Andalusian's stole the show.

We also walked thru the International Museum of the Horse before getting back to the horse show. We stayed there till it closed for the day and then went back to the bbow for dinner. Gary grilled steaks and that was such a treat. Taryn had a little swim and then we made s'mores with Gary.

Another Type of Horse Power

Gary knew there was a Toyota Manufacturing Plant here and for weeks has been making arrangements to get us on a tour. We had one set for this morning so we packed up the bbow and headed off to find the Toyota complex located in Georgetown, KY.

Sitting on 1,300 acres this complex is huge with 7.5 million square feet under roof. Each year this plants 7,000 employees produce about 500,000 vehicles and engines. That works out to about 2,000 vehicles a day. It is a fascinating process to watch.

After surrendering photo ID, our cell phones and cameras, we boarded a tram and were taken thru the plant watching actual cars assembled from start to finish - from rolls of metal and plastic beads to a shiny new car rolled out the door. They make the Camary, Avalon and Solara here. I was amazed to learn they build the cars in the actual order they are sold, so a Camary can be built right next to an Avalon in the production line. They have developed an amazing system of production and assembly to accomplish this that I found very interesting. It was a great tour.

Next we drove out to the Wispering Woods Ranch for Taryn's horse ride. Gary found this place after much phone work where she can really ride a horse and not just walking in a line down a trail. We decided to all ride so we had our own personal guide who took us on a miriade of trails woven thru the hills around their ranch. Most of these trails where narrow. While our guide caught most of the spider webs for us we had to constantly watch for branches. Gary had a close encounter with one that left him with a nasty hole in this jeans but thankfully his skin remained intact.

In order to satisfy Taryn's riding desire our guide incorporated spurts of trotting and cantering - usually uphill. With trees that close there were some exciting moments in the saddle, especially since we were completely unfamiliar with the trails.

Our guide got quite a kick out of taking us out. She said we did what would normally be a two and a half hour walking trail ride in just 1 hour. I did not realize just how tightly I was gripping my horse with every muscle in me till the next day. Ouch! I'll just say they are all present and accounted for! Taryn thot it was all just delightful and was so pleased. We all had a great time. It's always the best when we do things together.

We all desperately needed a swim so after a quick dinner we enjoyed the pool and then went back down to the stables to see how many more horses had arrived for the show. There are at least six full size open arenas set up with jumps of all kinds. Some of the horses were out practicing. They are well trained and beautiful.

We are so excited to see the show tomorrow. What a God-thing that we can. This is what Taryn loves to do and part of what she has taken lessons for. Having the chance to see a National Show is an incredible experience for her.

She also found a horse for sale and can't wait to investigate.

Happy Birthday Gary!

How would you like to start your birthday? Gary began his with a good run first thing in the morning. Taryn went along on her roller blades and that gave them both a chance to check this place out in the daylight.

Let's start off with the fact that it is incredibly beautiful here! We are staying in the middle of 1,200 acres of the most luscious green gently rolling hills in the very heart of Kentucky's famous Bluegrass region. The grounds of the Kentucky Horse Park are immaculate kept and there is so much to see and do - history, displays, museums, over 50 breeds of horses, a race track, stables, polo fields, and multiple event arenas of every type. Taryn is beside herself.

After his run Gary realized we would need transportation assistance here so he secured a golf cart for us to buzz around with to our hearts content. What fun it is to have that, and such a pleasant way to experience it all. We immediately went out to explore.

Our first stop was the Kentucky Horse Park Visitors Center. We wanted to know all there is to see and do here so we can wisely plan out our time. First priorities is to secure a horse ride for Taryn...but that did not turn out to be as easy as it sounds. There is a ride offered right from here, but as we checked it out we realized it was not the one for Taryn. So Gary embarked on a major search by phone to find one better suited for her.

There is also a tour of three local horse farms available and we wanted to get that set up for tomorrow. While Gary was working on making these arrangements he sent us to the gift shop. While we were there the most incredible rain storm hit. It was actually a deluge! My goodness, we had just driven our golf cart here in beautiful sunshine and now the sky was black and it looked like it could rain for a month! This was a bit discouraging to our immediate plans, but we decided to switch and do the indoor museums and exhibits now and save the outdoor things for tomorrow.

We enjoyed the Visitor Center displays and videos, and also the nearby Saddlebred Museum. By then the rain had thankfully passed, so we hopped in our golf cart and did some more exploring before going back to our "resort". We made dinner, did some much needed laundry while Taryn swam in their pool which is hands-down the best pool we've had this entire trip.

Gary and Taryn found out that there is a National Hunter Jumper Show and a Miniature Horse Show happening right here starting Thursday. Some of the horses started arriving tonight so we went back down to the massive stable area and watched the horses coming in.

After dark we came back to the bbow, made a small cake and enjoyed it with Gary's favorite cherry ice cream in honor of his birthday.

Prepare to Believe!

Part of the reason we drove so hard yesterday was because today we are going to the Creation Museum which just opened the end of May. So having just a short drive into Kentucky was very nice.

We love their brochure's headline "Prepare to Believe".

It has been called the "most scrutinized museum on the planet" and it can withstand the scrutiny because it is true to God's Word. We were absolutely thrilled with the Creation Museum and highly recommend it to all.

This state of the art 60,000 square foot museum is the project of Answers in Genesis an organization we have loved and supported for years. Their goal is to present a God-centered message showing the unity of history, science and the Bible.

Upon entering you are immersed into an experience that masterfully brings the Bible to life using cutting-edge multimedia technology. The museum offers over 50 video presentations, the Six days of Creation theater, the 78 seat Stargazer Planetarium, and a 200 seat special affects theater. There are also numerous displays designed by the former attraction designer for Universal Studios Florida. Every part has been thoughtfully designed and is carefully presented not to please man but to exalt God.

Your gonna love this New York Times comment on the museum's opening: "...where the Bible is treated as gospel".

Ya think??

The article also states that it is "stunningly designed".

The Creation Museum goes far beyond just presenting facts, it stirs your heart. We were incredibly blessed and were actually the last ones to leave the parking lot. Note: you will need a full day - two would be even better - to see it all. We definitely could have used more time.

We made a stop for supplies and dinner before arriving in Lexington Kentucky. We are staying at the Kentucky Horse Park. It was already dark when we go there so we set up and then tried to get to bed early so we can get a good start on our day tomorrow. Looks like this going to really be fun!

An "Erie" Experience

We enjoyed a breakfast served at our "resort" this morning before heading on our way. What a treat to have someone else cook! We have lots of driving to do today but also have some "must" stops planned in.

Gary has this thing about the Erie Canal. This "Grand Old Canal" connects the Great Lakes at 570' above sea level to the Hudson River and Atlantic ocean at sea level. Dug by hand between 1817 and 1823 it is a 363 mile engineering feat.

Our "Erie" stop was at the famous "flight of five" double locks located at Lockport. Two of these five locks allow boats to be raised or lowered 49 feet. Can you believe they actually took boats thru while we were there! We saw it all...and Gary was simply beside himself. It was amazing.

Speaking of amazing...we drove to Jamestown New York where Lucille Ball was born. She loved it here and always kept close connections to her hometown. There are two museums highlighting her life and work on "I Love Lucy".

When we got near Lake Erie we just had to "see it"...and seeing it led to "getting in it" just for a few minutes. The beach had a very unique feel and the waves were more intense than we anticipated.

We travelled back in to Pennsylvania for a while and then on into Ohio. We actually drove all the way down to Lebanon Ohio before stopping for the night. This was a mega three-state day and one of our longest so far.

Not Only Niagara Falls!

...so will your hair, so don't even waste time doing it. That's my tip for your day at Niagara Falls.

We had spectacular sunshine for our day at the falls and it was wonderful. We parked the bbow on Goat Island and walked out to Terrapin Point that overlooks Horseshoe Falls. The water literally thunders over the falls, and the farther out on the point you walk the wetter you get...but it's worth the wet.

There is an adventure passport you can purchase which included the major attraction sites and includes trolley transportation so we opted for that. When we purchased them ti was recommended that we start with Cave of the Winds so we walked there first. You are handed a clear thin rain poncho, a most interesting pair of sandals in your shoe size, and a plastic bag for your shoes. After changing you ride a 175' elevator to the base of Bridal Veil Falls where you walk on a series of wooden stairs and decks along the base of the falls. One of the decks takes you just a few feet from the pounding falls and there you will get pounded. It's amazing to be that close. Something in you just has to do it. Lucky you - you get to keep your interesting sandals.

Our next stop was for the Maid of the Mist tour where you board a bloat that takes you right up to both the American and Canadian Falls. To get to the boat you start on the Observation Tower which gives you a spectacular and dramatic 230' look out over the water below. My favorite part is standing up there and seeing the line of people walk our from the elevator into a small building and all walking out the other side of the building blue. In that small building you are given a blue rain poncho to wear on your boat ride. It just looks so funny from up above.

Gone are the heavy blue rain coats they use to hand out and now you are given a thin blue one that you can keep. The wind was really blowing quite hard and once the boat was moving it kept wanting to whip right up. At some point I decided to tie the bottom of mine together to keep it covering my shorts. Taryn was having trouble with hers too so I showed her and she proceeded to gather hers and tie it together like mine. Next thing I know the lady standing behind Taryn is laughing and pointing down. Taryn had accidentally grabbed that woman's blue poncho instead of the back of her own and had tied herself to that poor woman. It was so funny. That lady was from India and couldn't speak a word of English but she sure had a laugh over that.

After some lunch we decided to take in the new IMAX movie called "Niagara: Legends of Adventure". It sounded good on paper but was a great disappointment showing history assumed from legend. When it finally got to some actual recorded history it was better but certainly it was not what we expected.

The Discovery Center was also a great disappointment in the same way - very little actual history when there is so much interesting history of the Falls to tell. What a waste! Outside there was a rock wall for Taryn to climb and she enjoyed the challenge of that.

We decided to take the trolley back to Goat Island to enjoy the narration. It was close to the end of the day and the Trolleys were so packed with people that we wished we had walked. The paths along the water are just so amazing and close to the rapids and falls that I encourage choosing them whenever possible.

We made it back to the "resort" in time for one more swim. This pool is completely round which is something I haven't seen before. Packed up as much as we could to make our morning easy so we can exit quickly in the morning. Another big drive day ahead.

Finally Fireworks!

Gary noticed a leak in one bbow tire so our first stop in the morning was to get that fixed. From there we had a very long drive up thru Pennsylvania and into New York. This was a new drive for us and we really did enjoyed seeing new country. The rolling green hills with small towns tucked in the valleys were beautiful. It seems like every small town is proudly punctuated with a charming white church steeple. What a pleasant sight!

This was a long 360 mile day and we were exhausted by the time we reached our travel goal - Niagara Falls - at 7:45 pm. The pool at our "resort" was only open till 8:00 so we dropped Taryn off there immediately as we entered. She deserved this after that drive. I did laundry with a multitude of giant foreign bugs while Gary set up the bbow.

A bit later I found him at the office visiting with the manager who was a great source of information. This helped us plan out our time. He urged us to head in to town that evening for the fireworks show over the falls at 10 pm. Now our 4th, if you'll remember, was the nite we had our tornado warning, so the poor twelve year old only lit a few pathetic sparklers alone in the wind and rain. That's a sad 4th of July celebration.

So despite our weariness from travel we reloaded the bbow and drove to the edge of town. From there we took a wonderful walking path right to the falls. Its roar absolutely stuns you the first moment you hear it. Taryn was quite amazed. The fireworks were great but certainly could have used some inspirational patriotic music to bring it on home.

My favorite part of the evening was afterwards when the crowds had wandered off and we were able to stroll further up the walking path right to the very edge where the water starts over the falls. It is always amazing to me just how close you are to that edge. It's right there! And that sound - it's roar takes your breath away! This is the first time I have seen Niagara at nite and it was so beautiful.

One peculiar sight between the path and the water edge was rats. Yuck. I'm not quite sure why they were there, but there they were!

Leaving the falls we walked into the city which still had a lot of activity going on. We wandered thru some shops and then we spotted an ice cream stand with 64 flavors! We stood in a 20 minute line for our cones and then while we were eating I suddenly noticed mice way too close to my feet. I maneuvered from my chair up to the table. What is it with Niagara and rodents!!

After Gary safely secured the walking path I came down from my perch and we went back to the bbow. It was nearly 1 AM by the time we were once again settled at our "resort" and I still had to slay the giant foreign and now flying bugs to retrieve and fold my laundry. I was so tired I was actually brave.

Amish and Kisses

Taryn could not wait to see the Amish and was delighted when there were buggys pulled by beautiul horses everywhere as we drove out the next morning. It was such a beautiful day after that fearsome storm. We decided to take some back roads out into the beautiful farmland and just enjoy it all - from their well kept yards to the clean clothes hung out to dry.

Back in town we stopped at Kitchen Kettle Village. It's kinda "touristy" but a nice place to browse and shop. Gary lined up a horse drawn tour for us and we boarded a wagon pulled by Debbie and Donna - a pair of standardbreds. Our tour guide was very plesant and informative. We traveled with another family from Texas and they were wonderful tour companions. This was a great way for Taryn to learn a bit about the Amish culture and she was fascinated.

We were back in an hour and then continued to browse and shop. There was a great little stand there selling hand churned ice cream and fresh made potatoe chips. Guess what we had for lunch?

After that treat we boarded the bbow and were off to Hershey. Ya gotta do the Hershey tour when you're in Pennsylvania!

Did you know it is the 100th anniversary of the Hershey Kiss?

Wow, has this place changed. It is now a huge theme/amusment/water park...and then there is Hershey World. This is where they still have the chocolate plant tour and candy store. Of course it is now twenty times bigger but not as much fun.

You still ride the little trams thru the tour, but the tour is now more glitz and less of the good ol' Hershey story. As we left the tour we were stopped and asked to participate in a study. We were guided to a room, given instructions and then asked to sample two different pieces of chocolate and comment on each one. That was kinda cool.

During our visit another major thunder and lightning storm hit. The theme park suddenly closed and every wet body from there packed into Hershey World with us. What a mess.

We purchased tickets to the 3-D movie for relief from the crowd and there in the pre-show we finally heard the good Hershey story we remembered. Did you know Mr. Hershey and his wife were scheduled to be on the Titanic but were unable to board when she became ill? Talk about a God-thing!

Our "resort" was a part of the whole Hershey thing and just happened to be right next to their train tracks. Let me assure you that there is not even one hour during the nite when those trains aren't bringing delicious supplies in to Hershey. It's covered!

Gettysburg

It was hard to leave DC today. There is so much more we could see and do...and how great would it be to experience a 4th of July celebration in our Nation's capitol? But time is the issue - we just don't have it. After another major reality check we realized we're running too tight on time. So once again we made a hard decision to cut something. I actually prefer to say we are delaying it. We decided to make a return trip to see New York City sometime very soon.

Leaving the city we take the oh so beautiful drive into Pennsylvania. Our destination is Gettysburg. They say "Come to Pennsylvania where our Nation was born, and visit Gettysburg where our Nation was saved." As we drove we read about this very sobering time in our nation that resulted in a civil war, President Lincoln's agony over the sin of our nation, God's judgement and ultimately His grace in preserving our Union which Lincoln did not live to fully see.

Our first stop at the Visitor Center and Civil War Museum had to be the Electric Map. When we visited here in '92 this was a highlight and a most helpful visual presentation using lights on a large relief map to explain how the Battle of Gettysburg was fought. Well, its still here and we did see it again, but probably for the last time. A new Visitor Center/Museum will be opening in '08 and Gary found out the map will not be a part of it.

We then walked across the street thru the National cemetery where President Lincoln gave the Gettysburg address. We listened to part of a Park Ranger presentation which was really well done. Gary later found the grave of a Civil War soldier whose body was uncovered in 1996. Someone composed a beautiful poem about this unknown soldier and left it on that grave.

At Gettysburg you can actually have a personal guide ride with you in your vehicle touring the battlefield. If we had more time we would have done this. We did drive around a bit and stopped at Little Round Top. In reality we only glimpsed Gettysburg.

For me the significance of this trip to Gettysburg was considering it all thru spiritual eyes. Our reading gave us great insight into this and it has been very powerful. The faith of Lincoln, Lee and Jackson are all quite astounding. A spiritual war for the souls of men was equally waged and thousands of soldiers came to Christ. Right now I am reading "Christ in the Camp" by J. William Jones, a Confederate soldier and chaplain, telling the true story of the great revival that took place during the Civil War. It is well documented thru writings and letters of eye witness accounts. I will never see this war the same after this.

You can't go to Gettysburg with out stopping to eat at the Lincoln Diner which once upon a 1992 was in a railroad car. It has been remodeled, but still was good. The pie there was one of our greatest memories so we had to get some.

Leaving Gettysburg late in the afternoon we had a beautiful drive into Amish country. How beautiful and green it is! Feels to us a bit like home. A significant rain fell as we travelled so there were not many buggy's out. We did stop when we saw a sign for shoo fly pie. You gotta do the pie, and yes, it was a two pie day for us!

Our "resort" here was amazingly beautiful. Tucked in the beautifully green rolling hills of Lancaster County this was one of the most well maintained "resorts" we've had the pleasure of staying at. As we set up a storm was blowing in and soon our TV was flashing a tornado watch for our area. Taryn and I were quite concerned about a cloud formation on our left but it was passing beside us and not coming towards us as it first appeared. We were fine and soon the warning was dropped. We did have a spectacular wind, thunder and lightning storm thru the nite.

A Real Independence Day

There are moments on this trip when I feel very far away from home. This is one of those moments. My Aunt Gert has been gravely ill and this morning I got word she is now in Heaven. This is her Independence Day.

Aunt Gert loved and served the Lord faithfully. She was also a loving wife and the mother of seven children. She was a warm and caring woman who continually gave herself to others. I have been blessed by her impact on my life.

When I was young I was always welcomed in her home and loved being there. I have wonderful childhood memories of fun and family gatherings on their farm.

I remember one time staying overnite during spring cleaning and she let us ride the mattresses down the stairsteps. How cool was that!

I can remember baking cakes with her in her kitchen - lots of cakes! And we had to put fluoride drops in our milk each morning.

Music and singing were always encouraged in her home. She loved the piano and loved to sing.

She enjoyed our creative spurts and generously contributed props and costumes to the endless programs we would invent. And then she would faithfully stop to watch these productions, I'm sure, at very inopportune moments.

I guess she just treated me as her own and I loved that. Every child loves that.

And thru my chids eyes I watched her endure the most painful experience a mother can - her oldest son killed in war. Yet her faith stood firm, her Foundation sure because it is Christ...and I watched.

She was at all the major events of my life as I grew up and got married. She has always enjoyed my family - rejoiced with us as each of our children were born, as they graduated, with each wedding, and even the birth of our grandson.

Family is a rich blessing to be surrounded by throughout your life. I was blessed.

She loved our country and was fiercely patriotic. We shared that passion and she was a great supporter and encourager of what I do. She often came to hear me speak and would always tell me how proud she was of me. That meant a lot to me.

Her great challenge for the last year and a half has been physical dealing with the ravages of a debilitating stroke - a body that was now limited and would not cooperate, often in pain, sometimes fluctuating between confusion and clarity. Thru all of this her faith remained strong. She continued to worship and enjoy the Word of God, and she loved it when you took a moment to pray with her. She had a keen sense that she belonged elsewhere and longed for her true home.

And she has not been disappointed in any way. Heaven has freed her completely and she is with her Savior in complete independence - she is free from sin, she is free from death, she is free from pain, she is free from sorrow. She now knows complete freedom on this her first day in heaven. What an Independence Day!

...And Then We Overslept!

Of course this would happen today! We woke when the alarm went off at 5:45...but fell back asleep and then it was 6:27! We all jumped up and in the most amazing feat of this trip we made it to our pick up location by 6:45. I want you all to know that Gary had a shower and I did my hair and make-up. Can't believe we did that.

We took the Grey Line bus into DC on a route I have never done before. We came through major sections of row houses. This drive was suppose to take 1 hr but in 35 minutes we were suddenly beside The Heritage Foundation and I knew we were in the city and near Union Station.

We had about an hour and a half before our tour began and planned to get our breakfast at Union Station and plan strategy. This is Taryn's first time in DC and there is so much I want to show her. One day is not enough but will have to do. Gary has never been in Union Station and it was fun to show it to him.

At 9 AM we boarded our double-decker open top tour bus. This is an on/off tour which gives the flexibility we wanted. The audio part of the tour was recorded and would have been fine but they added these comments of what sounded like a crabby old woman and that got annoying.

Our first "must see" stop was the National Archives. After all our reading we just had to see the founding documents of our Nation. It was truly emotional to look at George Washington's working draft of the U.S. Constitution with his personal notations.

It was so striking to me that there are tall pillars on each side of the U.S. Constitution and on each one is an eagle, as if proudly protecting it. I have never noticed them there before. That was very special and personal to me.

Our next stop was the White House. From there we walked a very long time to all the various monuments and memorials. It was such a beautiful day - hot but with a refreshing breeze. We are so thankful it's not humid. We also saw the Capitol, Ford Theater, Supreme Court, Arlington Cemetery, Library of Congress. There are preparations for the 4th of July celebration happening everywhere.

We ended our tour back at Union Station where we had dinner at America! and then boarded the bus back to the "resort". What an amazing day!

It just felt like a s'more nite, so after two games of miniature golf Gary started a fire and we had s'mores together. Taryn was in the mood for "when you were young" stories so Gary told about the nite their barn burned down and I told about the nite Dad found drunk indians up in our hay mow. What a way to end our day.

The Light and the Glory

As we travel thru this amazing section of our nation it is so important to me that we understand Gods hand in our history. To put everything in perspective we have read pertinent sections of Peter Marshall & David Manuel's wonderful books "The Light and the Glory" and "From Sea to Shining Sea". We are also using "America's Providential History" by Mark Beliles & Stephen McDowell. All of this has been so very good and we have enjoyed it so much.

For each one of us today was an incredible highlight. We drove to Mount Vernon, and as we drove we read about the life of George Washington. By the time we got there we could not wait to see it all.

This is my fifth trip to Mount Vernon and each time has been so memorable. There have been some significant additions since I was there a few years ago. There is a new museum and education center opened now that include 25 new galleries and a theater. The museum itself contains over 500 original artifacts that are absolutely incredible.

You now enter Mount Vernon and are directed first to a grand theater that shows an 18 minute original movie depicting scenes of his military experience. Following the movie you are able to tour the estate. The mansion house, more than a dozen outbuildings, four gardens, a four acre working farm with a recreation of his 16 sided treading barn, his burial site, a forest walking trail, and oh my, that view on the bluff overlooking the Potomac River are all spectacular. We had a most beautiful day to see it all. It was sunny with a plesant breeze blowing, and there were puffy white clouds contrasting against a beautifully blue sky. It was a picture perfect day in every way.

We saved the new museum and education center for last but this is certainly something you do not want to miss. It is very well done and adds much to your Mount Vernon visit. There are personal items and fascinating information given there that we all really enjoyed.

Our reading added so much to our visit there that it all became quite and emotional experience. We are so blessed as a nation. We left Mount Vernon on a spiritual and patriotic high.

We traveled on to our "resort" located in Maryland and there we made arrangements for our one day blitz tour of Washington DC. How do you do that?? Your right. It's impossible. There is a Grey Line Tour offered that has transportation directly from our "resort". Since we know we can't park the bbow in DC we opted for this tour. They are picking us up in the morning....at 6:45 AM!!

A Revolutionary Adventure

We spent today at Colonial Williamsburg. From 1699 to 1780 Williamsburg was the political and social capitol of this British colony. The historic district has been restored to recreate its 18th century look and feel. It's like stepping back in time.

We happened to be there during three days of special events taking place which was so cool. They had an entire red coat camp set up in the town. Throughout the day there were different reenactments of scenes of situations the city would encountered as the revolution was brewing among the people. It was interesting and we enjoyed several of these.

There are hundreds of employees and volunteers dressed in period costume who work and wander all over Williamsburg. They are the shop keepers, tradesmen, merchants and soldiers. They speak to you in character which is way fun. You end up learning a lot about 18th century life in a very interesting way. The saddle shop and the blacksmith shop were highlights. There was also a museum with the most amazing collection of 18th century items. The Revolutionary War muskets were unbelievable.

The people in costume were fascinating to Taryn, and when she learned that there were costumes for sale or rent she had to have one. She got a young girls dress, sash and bonnet. For the rest of the day Taryn was in the 18th century. She participated in absolutely every way she could and would just beam when someone would comment on her dress.

Gary snagged two tickets for the last carriage ride of the day and took his daughter on that relaxing ride thru Williamsburg. Another high light was our dinner. Gary saw to it that we got to eat in one of the period "Taverns". It was quite an experience and great fun.

Back at our "resort" my two social butterflies went around meeting other families while I remained at the bbow trying to get caught up.

Happy 400th!

We made "camping eggs" and muffins, sliced up a few of our Florida oranges, brewed some Starbucks and brought breakfast in to the Montgomery's. It was a wonderful way to end our very special visit with them. Later Gary went out to get the bbow ready to go and there was Mike and Taryn washing it. That was a wonderful gift to him!

On the road we were heading to nearby Jamestown Virginia. In May of 1607 one hundred four English men and boys landed here and Jamestown became America's first permanent English colony.

There are actually two Jamestowns: Historical Jamestown - located on the actual sight with actual ruins and artifacts. It is a National Historic Park, and Jamestown Settlement - just down the road it is a recreation of the Virginia colony and the Powhatan Indian Village. It is owned by the state of Virginia.

The Montgomery's pointed this out to us, and since we went to Jamestown Settlement in '92, and since it is the 400th anniversary celebration we decided this time to see the real thing. We really enjoyed our visit there.

We then drove to Yorktown where the decisive battle of the American Revolutionary was fought and won by General George Washington. We have never been here before and really enjoyed learning about its significance. The residential Main Street and warfside Water Street located on the York River are most charming and worth seeing.

What an amazing day of history we enjoyed!

The Sound of Freedom

And yes, we did wake up to the "sound of freedom" as Gary put it. Those fighter jets were relentless in their practice of "touch and go" maneuvers. It kinda got funny after a while. We were trying to use our morning to make some catch up phone calls, and whether you were inside or outside the bbow you had to stop talking cause the jet noise was louder than you were able to talk over. Gary told Taryn that was the sound of freedom and we should be proud of it.

When we left our "resort" we parked over near the naval runways and watched our guys practice, and it was truly amazing. The first group finished and landed. Meanwhile eight more fighter jets lined up and we watched them take off...and then we took off for Poquoson, Virginia.

Poquoson is a very interesting place located between the Chesapeake Bay and the James River as part of the Virginia Peninsula. Most of Poquoson sits on low, swampy ground. But we were headed for what is known as Mount Poquoson - sitting a whole nine FEET above sea level! And here on Mount Poquoson in a beautiful rural neighborhood live our friends Mike and Linda Montgomery.

Mike and Linda are an amazing couple who serve on staff with Campus Crusade's Military Ministry. A military family themselves, they now minister to military marriages. The Virginia Peninsula is home to five key military installations and has one of the largest military populations in the world. They are perfectly poised for impact and God is greatly using them here.

Have you ever considered the very unique stress on a military marriage? Mike and Linda faithfully minister to and mentor military husbands and wives sharing with them the wonderful truths of Gods blueprint for marriage. We are so honored to have met them last fall and believe so strongly in the work God has called them to. We spent a wonderful evening in their home and our fellowship was sweet.

Taryn loved catching fireflies in their yard. They graciously allowed us to park our bbow in their driveway so we could enjoy breakfast together in the morning before we have to leave.

It's Brandon's Birthday - Happy Birthday Son!

It is Brandon's birthday today and I am missing him a lot! Where have twenty-three years gone? My youngest son [who always reminds me that he use to be the baby of the family] has and will reach some major milestones in his life in this year: he graduated from college, officially began his career, and will soon marry the young woman he loves! Is this a significant year or what.

My prayer for you Brandon is that you will press on to know Christ. You will never regret any obedience to His Word or surrender to His will. You can trust Him completely. Have a wonderful birthday my son. Know that you are thot of, missed, and deaply loved on this your twenty-third birthday.

Love ~ me

The "Wright" Flight

The reason we drove so late last nite was in hopes of spending a few hours today at the Wright Brothers national Memorial on North Carolina's Outer Banks. There is an outstanding visitors center here where their story is told thru exhibits and a full scale reproduction of their 1902 glider and 1903 flyer. We had to work pretty quickly thru all the exhibits but it was fascinating. Gary really enjoyed how they pondered and solved the complex problems they encountered. It was all so well documented by the brothers.

Leaving we just had to stop at the ocean. Wonderful waves were beating against the shore and we couldn't wait to get our feet in the water....but it was oh so very cold! What a difference one state makes.

Catching a quick dinner we had to keep driving to our "resort" in Virginia Beach, Virginia. As we located it we were seemingly being buzzed by F-15 fighter jets. We weren't exactly sure where they were coming from. Once we were settled we realized we must be very, very near an air force base. We heard those planes all thru the night. Sure enough we were right next to Oceana Naval Air Station, where day and night they practice touch and go carrier landings.

Where the Civil War Began

On the advice of a fellow "resorter" we decided to make our one stop in Charleston South Carolina at Fort Sumter where the opening shot of the Civil War was fired. We drove to Patriots Point and boarded a boat that took us out to the fort. During our half hour boat ride we learned as much as we could about its history.

Fort Sumter sits at the entrance of Charleston Harbor and is one of a series of coastal fortifications built by the US after the War of 1812. In the early years of the republic slavery became entrenched and vital to the southern economy. The is issue of slavery was dividing the nation and on December 20, 1860, South Carolina delegates to a special secession convention voted unanimously to secede from the Federal Union. The day after Christmas Major Robert Anderson moved his 85 man garrison to Fort Sumter.

The South demanded that Fort Sumter be vacated. The North refused so on April 12, 1861 the South Carolina troops of the Confederacy fired on the fort. This began a two day bombardment that resulted in the surrender of Fort Sumter by Union Troops.

The South held the Fort and endured one of the longest sieges in modern warfare - for almost two years 46,00 shells [over 7 million lbs of metal] were fired on the fort. It was the arrival of General Sherman's troops from Savannah that caused the Confederates to finally evacuate Fort Sumter on February 17, 1865.

On April 14, 1865, with Charleston now in Union hands, the U.S. flag that was lowered in 1861 was once again raised over Fort Sumters battered ramparts. We saw that flag in Fort Sumter's Museum. You can also still see civil war artillery shells embedded in the fort walls. It was all a most impressive tour that we enjoyed very much.

Leaving Charleston we continued to make our way up the coast towards Myrtle Beach. Because we had such an abbreviated time at Daytona Beach we had promised Taryn some time at a South Carolina beach. Gary had one in mind - Huntington Beach State Park - and it was a winner. It is also a nature preserve and we crosses over a rather large alligator swamp but didn't see any. We enjoyed about 3 hrs of sun, sand and surf. The water was incredibly warm and Taryn had such fun with her board. She's getting quite good at this.

On our way out of the park we checked for alligators and were treated to seeing at least 11 of them ranging in size from 4 to about 10 feet. They came out when the heat of the day was past. Some were swimming, some were sitting on a sand bar, and Gary watched one enjoying a crab for dinner. What fun to see them.

Leaving there at 7:30 pm and knew we had a long drive ahead of us. Our goal was to get as far up the coast of North Carolina as possible. Taking Hwy 17 we drove late into the nite. On our way we passed thru Wilmington NC and it was a most incredible city with grand southern homes and wonderful architecture. We put put it on our "want to explore this more" list. Our next trip! In Jackson we drove next to the Marine Corp Base Camp LeJeune.

New Bern was our stop for the night at 1 AM.

Gotcha Taryn!

Thot I'd share (with permission) one humorous story from our Savannah day. One place Gary wanted us to see was the old cemetery in one of the Savannah squares. It is actually right next to their dueling field - for convenience we were told.

We ended up tramping thru the cemetery at the most insanely hot and humid time of day. It was not very pleasant. To top it off we had to walk off the path in some longer grasses.

My concern was about ticks. At our "resort" they had posted some precautions. It said to avoid grasses like that, and to be sure to check yourself if you did walk thru some. As we returned to the path I was telling Taryn about this.

Gary came up and joined the conversation. I told him that ticks can hide in men's leg hair. Then I said to Taryn "and on women they like to hide in their arm pits". She screamed and in a second her arm shot up in the air as she tried to check for ticks. She then came running to me with her pit in the air desperately asking "Do you see any on me??" I burst out laughing and told her I was just kidding.

It took a minute for that to sink in but then she had to laugh and admit that was a good one and she had fallen for it bad. Later she said "go ahead and put it on the blog Mom. It was kinda funny". So I thot since she gave permission I would. We needed some humor in that humidity. She's a good sport.

Enchanting Savannah

We spent the day in Savannah. Gary loves Savannah and has been wanting to show it to us for quite a while. It is a wonderful city full of Southern grace and charm - with a generous helping of humidity.

We drove to the visitors center and from there took a 90 minute trolley tour which gave us a great overview of the city and its amazing place in history. After the tour we could hop on and off the trolley at whatever area of the city we wanted to spend time in.

Founded in 1733 Savannah is Georgia's first city. History is all over this city...Founding Fathers...Revolutionary War...Civil War...

We saw where all the people of Savannah gathered to hear the Declaration of Independence read to them for the first time.

John Wesley started the first Sunday School here.

I really enjoyed the city squares - unique little tree and shrub lined park-like blocks that grace the streets of Savannah's historical district. These squares were designed to be bordered by homes and public buildings. They have been likened to "outdoor living rooms" where people would gather in the evenings to visit, stroll and share the news of the day. They are still so beautiful and inviting. I love the concept and have never seen anything like it.

This city really does capture you and I know that one day here is just a fragment of all there is to do and see. Sadly for us that will have to be left for another trip. We must press on...heading North.

Playing Catch Up

OK, I am several days behind and just need to catch you all up to where we are now.

We did spend one more day in Disney and went to Typhoon Lagoon, their huge water park. By then we knew our schedule was just too aggressive and we had to really push thru and go for it or be willing to cut something.

The next day we stayed in Orlando and had a huge regrouping day. We cleaned everything, sorted everything and you will never know what a wonderful feeling that was after the Disney blitz. We also had time to decide what to do about our schedule.

We chose to cut driving down to the Keys. This was a hard decision but two things made it a bit easier - the Everglades tour we hoped to take was in a drought and was not worth the time it would take to get there, and Ross and Taya were going to be in Tampa for Family Life and we could potentially spend a bit more time with them.

So the following day we drove to Tampa, met Ross, Taya and Isaiah at their hotel and then took Taya and Isaiah with us to the beach. It was so fun being together even for a few hours. We left Tampa and drove to the Port St. John area for the night.

We spent the next day at the Kennedy Space Center. They have an amazing visitors facility there and we found a lot more to do than we had time for - and we spent five hours there! That evening we drove into Daytona Beach and went to Bubba Gumps for dinner. Please don't ask Gary about parking the bbow in Daytona Beach.

The next morning we went to Daytona Speedway. There have also been a lot of changes here since '92. They have a huge new visitor facility and it is incredible. We spent way more time there than we thot, and barely had any time left for the beach, which was what Taryn was waiting for.

By the time we got to the water the tide was in far enough that they were no longer allowing vehicles on the beach which is what Taryn was looking forward to. We drove on to the next town, Ormond Beach, and let her get in the ocean. It was quite cloudy and the water is much darker colored than it is on the Gulf, but the water was so very warm. And the waves were quite good too. She got out her little board and was working hard to catch some waves. Once Gary and I had put our feet in we were wishing we had our suits on too. We only had a half hour there and that was most regrettable. Leaving the beach and Florida we drove on to Georgia staying at the edge of Savannah.

Disney MGM Studios & O Canada!

This park was our absolute favorite. Learning from our EPCOT experience we immediately split up to secure fast passes for the Tower of Terror and a lunch reservation at 50's Prime Time Cafe. With those secured we could wander around.

We were on the Backlot Tour when we heard and saw cars burning out making lots of smoke and noise. Gary figured they were warming up for something...and they were. Lights, Motors, Action! is a great show of extreme stuntdriving using cars, motorcycles, guns and fire. We busted right over to see the show and it was great.

Tower of Terror was Gary's favorite ride. It has a Twilight Zone theme where you are taken into a mysterious hotel by creepy bellman and placed on a service elevator where the terror begins. You are basically lifted and dropped 13 floors repeatedly and very rapidly. My stomach was not too fond of this one but I did it two more times. Taryn however loved it enough to go on it 6 times.

But the greatest ride in all of Disney - in my humble opinion - was Rock 'n' Roller Coaster. Oh my goodness, this was amazing fun! Somehow we were not paying much attention as they loaded us up, so going from zero to 60 mph in 2.8 SECONDS [magnetic exceleration] was a total shock. It was so shocking I laughing outloud the whole ride. Our picture was hysterical. It is snapped right after you take off, and the looks on our faces say it all. I could not wait to do this ride again.

As it ended up we were not able to use our evening fast pass because Gary snagged us tickets to the Hoop Dee Doo dinner show back at Fort Wilderness. We got back just in time to change and get to the 9:30 show. Now that's a bit late for dinner but what a great time we had. It was very fun and family friendly. The lead singer actually came to our table, asked where we were from and then made a verse of their song about us coming from Washington state. Taryn laughed so hard thru the whole show. It was great.

The next night we blitzed back to MGM to do that coaster again. We were so dissappointed that by the time we got there all the fast passes for that day were gone. We opted to wait an hour in line and try to go on as single riders. We were in that very, very long line watching all the fast pass people running by when four young people stopped beside us and asked if we wanted to join them - they had extra fast passes. We jumped at the chance thanking them profusely and followed them right to the front of the line. They were from Canada working at Epcot, and as Disney employees had extra fast passes. They seemed just as excited to share them with us as we were to get them. They even made sure we got the front row. What a blast! ...and this time we did get the picture.

When we got off they were waiting to see how we enjoyed the ride, and then they gave us fast passes for our other fav - Tower of Terror. How great was that?? We enjoyed another series of drops on that ride all thanks to our new friends from Canada!

Magic Kingdom - Seven Lands of Timeless Fun!

Ya gotta love the Magic Kingdom! I always have a good time there.

We have this tradition of making a mad dash entry to get to all our favs first: Pirates of the Caribbean, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Space Mountain, Haunted Mansion. Taryn has an adventuresome nature and we could enjoy it all together.

Pirates has been redone to include Jack Sparrow. It seemed like they cut out a lot and I liked the original better.

Now, I don't do water rides (for an obvious reason - my hair) but Gary, Taryn and the humidity talked me into going with them on Splash Mountain and that was a blast.

Once again I was not successful in getting Gary on It's a Small World, so Taryn and I enjoyed it together.

New for us was the 3-D Mickey's PhilharMagic which we did enjoyed, and Monsters Inc Laugh Floor which was great. In the "new but not so great" category I would put Stitch's Great Escape - definitely avoid.

Don't miss the opportunity to enjoy a Pineapple soda or Dole Whip in Adventure Land.

This was the busiest park by far but there is so much to see and do it was still a ton of fun, and we went back there twice.

Epcot - What does that word mean??

Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. Wow, did Gary and Taryn ever correct me quickly on that one. Excuse me! I guess I wasn't listening when Walt explained that to us. In '92 this was our highlight and we couldn't wait to explore it again.

Oh my word, Gary had us busting thru the gate to get to the Test Track ride. Basically you get into a six-seater prototype sports car and put thru a series of road tests - braking, hills, curves etc. The best part is the outside lap of the ride that takes you on a raised roadway outside of the building at speeds of 66 mph. He actually got us on this one twice and it was a blast.

We did Spaceship Earth, saw Figment again in Imagination!, enjoyed Living with the Land, and the new Nemo and Friends "clamobile" ride (ok, I did not make that word up - they did) and laughed at Turtle Talk with Crush - "later dude". We had to miss Mission:SPACE after being warned that our weak stomach's likely could not handle it. Don't even want to go there.

I was so looking forward to World Showcase and had big plans: dinner in Italy and dessert in France! We wandered our way around till dinner and then discovered Italy was completely booked for the evening. What a bummer that was. So we ate in France and then treated ourselves to extra sympathy desserts there. They were wonderful!

Leaving France we encountered a distressing weather change - an indignant thunder and lightening storm caught us only half way to the UK, and by the time we ducked in a shop there we were completely soaked. The shop we harbored in was overrun by soaking, distressed travelers such as ourselves. It was also significantly air conditioned which nearly did me in. I was desperately freezing. Gary, sensing crisis, allowed me to purchase a Mickey Slicker. Covered in plastic I was able to complete our day in EPCOT

The only bummer of EPCOT was American Adventure in the USA was closed for renovations. It reopens in less than a week...but long after we'll be gone. I really looked forward to seeing it with Taryn and so this was disappointing. They did have their singing group performing and Taryn made her way to the front row and really enjoyed them. What a smile on her face as they sang with amazing range and harmony.

The Adventure Begins ...at Disney's Animal Kingdom

Taryn described this park as "amazing". It is the largest of the four theme parks - five times the size of the Magic Kingdom. The space is divided into seven unique "lands".

Our favorites:

Expedition Everest - a high speed roller coaster train ride. Ever gone backwards on a roller coaster before? It's a kick!

Flights of Wonder - where exceedingly beautiful birds fly unbelievably close to your head...but don't duck cause they'll just fly lower. Wow! BTW Dave Black has a twin who is a comedic character in this show, and we can prove it!

Festival of the Lion King - a very fine live action show. It features great music, elaborate sets, color costuming and it's just plain fun to watch and sing along with - if you saw the movie.

Kilimanjaro Safari - traveling in a busmobile thing you journey across 110 acres of rolling savanna filled with seemingly freely roaming animals. The ride was great but we all agreed the story line they attempt to weave thru the 20 minute tour was hokey and unnecessary.

It's Tough to be a Bug and Flights of Wonder are two rides taken from Disneyland and given new names here in Florida. We did enjoy them again.

We skipped all the environmental wacko stuff we could identify. Our one disappointment was that the Finding Nemo Musical experienced technical difficulties and closed before we could see it.

This was the most humid day I have experienced in my life. It was cruelly uncomfortable and I was never more thankful for the luxury of a shower, dry clothes and the air conditioning of our bbow!

Thots on Humidity

Gary: wet sweat... more wet sweat. The bbow jack is rusting

Cindy: sick and wrong

Taryn: really, really nasty

The Amazing Race...thru Disney

I feel like we have just completed the Amazing Race! We spent five intense days on a madcap romp thru Disney World. Any of you who have traveled with someone whose initials are GDH will know exactly what I mean. :-)

After we purchased our passes we sat down to put a gameplan together how to best "conquer" Disney. There is strategy to this. Our first obstacle was agreeing where we would go. Can you believe all three of us had different ideas about what was important to see and do?

Disney World is the largest entertainment complex in the world. Sprawled out across its 47 square miles are 4 theme parks, two water parks and Downtown Disney for shopping. With a combination of practicality and compromise we did come up with a plan.

We are staying at Disney's Fort Wilderness - the only on-site "resort". Now this truly deserves the title of "resort". It has more than 750 shaded campsites, over 400 cabins, horses, pools, general stores complete with overturned barrels topped with checkers ready to be played, an amazing network of path and a transportation system that includes a most convenient boat option. We loved it here in '92 and it still is an amazing place to stay.

I am going to blog the parks separately. Time has been a major issue as you can tell by my absence.

Florida Hair.....It's Baaaack!

This is something only my daughter and sister will understand and sympathize with, but I have officially entered the Florida Hair Zone.

Yesterday was all spent at the beach. Taryn was out there by 10 AM. The water was so warm and we all had a blast. Gary came back from his morning run with a Starbucks latte for me and steaks to "grill" for dinner. It was so nice to know we didn't have to move....except when we wanted to turn our beach chairs a bit more towards the sun.

In the evening Taryn went to movie & popcorn at the "resort". Gary and I did the laundry - we needed to get all the sand and salt water out of our clothes and towels so we're ready to blitz Disney World.

Saturday morning Gary got up and started driving by 7 AM. We had a big drive so we were glad to get a good start. A pick up pulling large 30' travel trailer blew past us at one point and shortly after traffic slowed to a stop. The driver had lost control, jackknifed and there lay his travel trailer on it's side across both lanes of traffic. Everyone ran out to help and thankfully no one was injured. God was very gracious to them and to all of us who could have been involved.

We made a stop to stock up on all things needed for Disney World, and then later we made a latte' stop to secure a "resort" for the night, our DW passes, and directions to everywhere we needed to maneuver to in the bbow. This is a vital step when you have the big box with you where ever you go. We do have four nites at Disney's Fort Wilderness but that starts Sunday nite. It is the only Camping inside Disney World and we love staying there. From there we take this sweet little Disney boat to all the different Disney Parks.

We did get a sight at the KOA, but before we went there we went to Downtown Disney for our passes and some dinner. Gary dropped us off while he attempted parking. He was chased by a Disney security call - lights flashing - which told him he needed to be in another area. He was shown where and headed there. Suddenly there were flashing lights again and another Disney security told him he needed to be somewhere else. He asked that guy to call his buddy who had just directed him there and figure out where they wanted him. They finally agreed on a spot and Gary and the bbow got an escort - lights still flashing - to their spot. It was closer so that was great.

The KOA's pool was open 24 hrs. so Taryn hopped right in and that was a wonderful way to end a long drive day.

Tomorrow Disney!

It's all in how you define it!

We woke and found ourselves in a most beautiful "resort". Investigating we discovered we were at a the edge of a most beautiful white sand beach. Grabbing our morning coffee we went down to enjoy this bit of ocean. We are actually in Santa Rosa Sound so the water is quiet and calm.

Our goal today is to find a resort on the outer bay so we can play in some wave. "Resorts" are filling faster and we are going to have to make a move to find one. First stop - a beach store to get some appropriate beach wear. Gary and Taryn both got new board shorts. There is an amazingly number of large beach stores here and it's quite easy and inexpensive to purchase needed items.

We called ahead to a "resort" in Destin FL which is right on the open ocean and offers ocean camping. Perfect!. We paid big bucks and took a "beach site". As it turned out we were no where near the actual beach. It seems the translation of "beach site" is "on the way towards the beach" The sites on the beach are called "beach front" sites and are even more expensive....but worse, all taken. Gary was not exactly happy about this.

We spent the rest of the day at the beach. Taryn loved the water and in a short time had made friends with some girls her age from Mississippi. By the end of the day Gary decided we would stay here tomorrow too and just relax at the beach and it was a good decision.

That evening campers gathered outside for Karaoke and this time Taryn was able to sing. She did a great job singing Rascal Flatts "My Wish" and Carrie Underwood's "Jesus Take the Wheel".

Take me to the River

We were able to actually see our "resort" this morning. It was aptly named Cajun Country. How true! Gary and Taryn noticed a field full of some beautiful low growing flowers and went to investigate. It wasn't long before they noticed the flowers moving and their feet sinking. These flowers were actually floating in a pond of water. What a surprise that was. Directly across the road from our "resort" were fields of sugar cane - the "white gold" of the South.

We traveled "The River Road to New Orleans" because "Everything in Louisiana is just around the bend". Well, that's what our travel brochure "Take me to the River" said. You can check it out at http://www.takemetotheriver.com/ . The river does wind gracefully around and it is a most pleasant drive to wander and discover as you go. We were on our way to see some plantation homes. In '92 we toured two - the Nottoway and Oak Alley. I had really enjoyed the Nottoway tour and wanted Taryn to enjoy that. Since we only had time for one tour we headed there.

Nottoway was completed in 1859 for Mr. & Mrs. John Randolph and their eleven children. It took 10 years to plan and build. Mr. Randolph acquired thousands of acres of land making his fortune in sugar cane and his plantation home boasts 53,000 square feet of grandeur and Southern hospitality. The tour was enjoyable, but we had a young lady lead the tour who was obviously new to her job and didn't add the detail of our previous tour. A more "mature" woman led the next tour and we tagged along for a portion of hers which was far more interesting.

Our next stop was The Cabin, a restaurant set in one of ten original slave dwellings of the Monroe Plantation. The structure is over 180 years old and its original cypress roof is still visible from the inside. There are also areas of the cabin with ancient newspaper still fixed to the walls as insulation. It is an amazing place to see...and an amazing place to eat. We enjoyed real Southern fare - gumbo, jambalaya, black-eyed peas, red beans and rice, sausage, po-boys and a piece of buttermilk pie to share.

We did a quick stop at the lovely Houmas House Plantation and all agreed we should have toured that instead. That is now on the "must do" list for our next U.S. Tour.

Gary suggested we still drive into New Orleans. We had decided that was something we had to cut but we went for it anyway and got there about 5 pm. He dropped Taryn and I off by Cafe Du Monde and went to park the bbow. That was quite a trick in this town. We had a delightful dinner of beignets and cafe' au lait. This has been a spectacular eating day! Took some time to walk the area and then back to the bbow.

Driving out we were able to see the Katrina damage. There are some significant areas of destruction to see. Both homes and businesses still uninhabitable. There are still blue tarped roofs you will see as you drive around. It is hard to imagine the force of the wind and water that could do such damage and destruction. It was amazing to see.

Our big debate was how far to drive tonite. We want to get as close to Florida as possible so we can spend as much time as possible by the beach before hitting Disney World this weekend. We decided to go for it and I am writing this from somewhere near Fort Walton Beach Florida. That means we've been in four states today. Cool! ...and tomorrow we hit the beach. Way cool!!

Bluffs and Bayous

We enjoyed an absolutely beautiful drive thru rural Southern Arkansas on Hwy 65. We cracked up seeing a sign that read "Warning: Entering Salene County, jail space available" Arkansas has a lot of personality! It is a beautiful state and we enjoyed this opportunity to explore another part of it. It is a beautiful sunny, hot day. The road was good and the land flat. There were crops along the road that we could not identify. We did see several man -made ponds we assumed to hold catfish, and after a while we did pass a catfish processing plant.

Now Gary had left Little Rock with a secret plan of making a side trip into Vicksburg Mississippi. He sprang this plan on me after we had driven several hours towards "that" end of Arkansas and since we were "practically there " "we" decided to go for it. Guess what? Hwy 65 just happens to bump right into I 20 which takes you right into Vicksburg.

Crossing the mighty Mississippi River and entering Vicksburg we saw the visitors center on our left safely guarded by several Civil War cannons. Quite an impressive sight. We got there around 3:30 and it was just about as hot as it could be. It had to be over 100 degrees outside, and it was up to 92 in the bbow so we ran the generator and air for a bit to get it to a livable 82. We stopped in the visitors center and immediately enjoyed the Southern charm and elaborate decor. Gathering some information quickly we headed out.

The reason Gary wanted to come here is that a significant civil war battle took place here for Vicksburg. The North successfully forced a surrender that gained them undisputed control of the Mississippi River. This is considered to be the most strategic campaign of the Civil War. There is a wonderful National Military Park to visit. We got there in time to see its Visitors Center and then to take a driving tour of the battle line bluffs which are dotted with over 1,330 markers in tribute to the different battalion positions along them. It's hard to imagine how an army could successfully maneuver over such terrain.

There were some portions of these bluffs completely overtaken by a large ivy type vine. It covered everything: every tree, every branch, everything. It looked as if someone placed a huge vine cloth over everything. One valley we passed was entirely covered with this vine.We tried to get a good picture but I haven't seen if it turned out. I really want to know what it is, so if anyone knows please tell me.

Leaving Vicksburg after 6 pm we knew we had a good three hour drive ahead of us. It continued to be a beautiful evening drive and we enjoyed seeing the scenery change as we now entered bayou country. We pulled in to a "resort" in Baton Rouge Louisiana after 10 pm and it was so good to be there. Then I freaked out when I noticed the size and quantity of bugs enjoying the lights around the "resort". One of the worst memories I have of our '92 trip happened right here with the stealth attack of the "noseeums". I began spraying repellent everywhere , keeping lights off and guarding the door like a hawk till we were safely set up and snug in our bbow.

Partings Sweet Sorrow

It has been such joy to spend nearly a week with Taya, Ross and Isaiah! We even spent an extra day with them. What fun! Isaiah was thrilled to have the bbow right outside his bedroom window. He calls it "the big ol' motor home".

Their home is so beautiful. Neither Gary or Taryn has been here since they moved last June. Taryn couldn't wait to move right in to her sisters spare room and be right next to Isaiah. She got to meet her very special pen pal Madeline and got to spend lots of "girl time" with her and her two sisters Mallory and Alexis. Just what she needed after 3 weeks on the road with Mom and Dad.

I'll just try to hit the highlights of our week here:

Thursday Ross worked, Gary did some work on the bbow, I sorted and organized....and just enjoyed Taya and Isaiah. We went swimming at the pool which was so nice since it was hot and muggy. We "grilled" on the patio and Taryn had a sleepover with Madeline.

Friday Ross took off work and we went to Memphis. Our first stop was the Peabody Hotel which is famous for their ducks. Each day a trainer escorts five ducks from their "palace" on the hotel roof down the elevator to the lobby where they march down a red carpet and hop into the fountain located at the center of the lobby. There is usually a crowd that lines the carpet path and fountain to cheer them on. It is quite cute and Isaiah loved it - all 10 seconds of it.

We then walked down the street and into an alley to find our bbq destination - the famous Memphis Rendezvous. Wow, this was the real thing! It had the atmosphere, it had the people, and it had authentic Memphis bbq. We did ribs again and it's a completely different taste experience from our Texas bbq. They used a serious dry rub, and sauce is on the side, completely different beans, slaw and rice too. What fun! It was there that a serious thunderstorm descended on the city. Poor Ross made a run for umbrellas. We all slogged thru the city streets in our flip flops - except for Gary. It was a comedy just trying to keep them on our feet.

We were walking to the Cotton Exchange Museum, a small but well done museum where we learned the history of the cotton industry in Memphis which was very interesting. We even had the place to ourselves. There is an amazing music history here as well - blues and jazz.

There is so much to do and see in Memphis but it felt like we only had time for a glimpse before we had to head back to Little Rock. We were meeting friends at Larry's for dinner. Larry's is a pizza experience every Thursday nite - an all-you-can-eat experience! They make every kind of pizza you can imagine - from the ordinary to the unique - and they bring them out to you calling out what they're carrying and you just let them know if you'd like a piece. What fun! We all ate way too much.

Saturday we all split up: Girls went shopping and guys went to the Hot Rod Magazine Power Tour 2007 Finale. Little Rock was the final stop of their six city tour.

Sunday we went with Ross and Taya to their church - Fellowship Bible Church. This is always so exciting for me b/cause this is one of the churches I pray for every Sunday. Their teaching Pastor Tim Lundy is a wonderful teacher of the Word. We were there for part two of a three week series on spiritual warfare from Ephesians 6. I would highly recommend listening or viewing this series online at www.fbclr.org We can't wait to hear the final message next week.

After Isaiah's nap we drove around Little Rock together and were able to check Fellowship's new facility which is under construction. It is an amazing building and will be a wonderful, welcoming place for them to relocate.

Meanwhile, there was a major thunder and lightening storm back at the house. It was right over us when we got back there. It poured - and I mean nearly 2" of rain poured out of the sky. Taryn even set out a soup can and it was unbelievable how much fell in a relatively short amount of time. We watched their back yard fill up with water surrounding Isaiah sand/rock box, which appropriately is a tug boat. It nearly floated!

Gary's friend Scott and his wife drove over two hours to visit with us that evening. Imagine every growing up/high school story - the good, the bad and the ugly - being told...and oh so many laughs. All I can say is God's grace towards us was and is indeed very, very great!

Monday we were scheduled to leave but decided to stay and enjoy one more day together. I really dreaded the Tuesday good-bye. It's never any fun to leave them, but we were so blessed by our time together. To see their lives and ministry close up, to spend time with them, love on Isaiah, see the sights of the area or just enjoying the ordinary everyday things of life together is really a rich blessing and we are so thankful. They were most gracious and giving towards us and we had a wonderful time.

We left as we came...with Taya and Isaiah standing in the driveway waving and blowing us kisses as we drove off in our bbow.

You know you're in Arkansas when....

1 - you wake up to the traffic reporter on the radio saying "cars are stacked up on the freeway like a cord of firewood".
2 - your husband goes for his three mile run in the morning and comes home with a 8" turtle in his hands.
3 - your daughter swimming in the local country/golf club pool shouts "Mom, there's a tarantula in the pool! ....and there really is! [I have pictures]

We made it to Little Rock, and we're so glad to be here! Yesterday was all about getting here to see Taya, Ross and Isaiah. We made the seven hour drive from Texas with as few stops as possible, and were rewarded at 5 pm by driving up to see Taya and Isaiah waiting outside to welcome us! Oh this is so very wonderful. We miss them so much and could not wait to get here. How good it is to be together! Their home is a refreshing oasis for us in so many ways.

Taryn has finally met her pen pal Madeline. They are having a sleep-over tonite in Taya's spare room. We "grilled" this evening on the patio. In Arkansas you never say you're going to bbq - that means something completely different.

Tomorrow we are making a day trip to Memphis together - a two hour drive from here - and there we will have bbq!

Hurricane Harbor

This is our Texas play day, so we packed up our swimsuits, sunscreen and bug spray and headed to the Six Flags water park Hurricane Harbor. We spent the entire day there and never even did all the slides which really bummed Gary out. It was a great place to be. The temperature was over 100 degrees and it was very humid, but we didn't notice in the water.

As we drove out of the water park at nearly 7 pm we saw a time and temp sign which said it was still 102 degrees. We found a Tex Mex place for dinner and then went back to the resort. Want to be ready to leave early tomorrow for Little Rock. Can't wait to see Taya, Ross & Isaiah!

Tomorrow, Lord willing, we will be having dinner with them. Yea!

A Herd of Camels....in Texas!

Our day started with the stem of Taryn's glasses breaking off in her hand. We went to Waffle House for breakfast and then to Wal Mart to see what we could do about her glasses. They looked them up and said they didn't have that frame in stock, but Taryn walked over and found one. That was a total God-thing and we were so thankful!

Next stop was the Post Office to mail Sam's birthday package and get stamps. Taryn and I were next in line and a fire alarm went off and we were ordered to evacuate the Post Office. I did not have time for this! We were in the parking lot for a bit and then suddenly allowed to go back in, so we were able to do what we needed.

Finally on the road we went thru some interesting Texas towns like Claude, Goodnight and Memphis - the cotton capitol of the Texas pan handle! Hwy 287 is a long straight stretch of road. Gary noticed some trees that were all eaten off evenly way up high and wondered what could have done than when suddenly he spotted a camel, of all things. There was a whole herd of them out there in the field. It was a very strange sight and we had to stop for a picture.

We got into Fort Worth around 5:30 and parked near the old stockyards. This historic district is so interesting. We read about it on-line and then took off to explore. All the stores were closed for the day but it was fun to walk around and get a feel for the place. We had dinner at the H-3 Ranch and it was the best bbq we have ever had. Highly recommended!

It was dark and quite late when we headed to Arlington to our "resort" There must have been quite a rain because a small river was running across the pavement at the resort. It ran right over your feet and Taryn had a blast watching her flip flops float. Biting bugs everywhere and we soon fled inside. Found a site to tuck in till morning and fell into bed.

I'm sorry, I just don't get it!

Dallas is in the midst of a storm - a sixty mph gust was just recorded - so we are staying one more day in Amarillo. There are two places Gary has his heart set on seeing yet- Cadillac Ranch and Route 66 historical district.

Our first stop was Cadillac Ranch, and I'm sorry...I just don't get it. Ten old Cadillac cars half buried nose first in the ground next to grazing cattle. They are covered with graffiti - which is encouraged. And there went Gary and Taryn, sharpies in hand, to join the hundred or so people out their expressing themselves on the cars

It's suppose to be art that makes a statement, but Gary really couldn't tell me what the statement is [and I'll keep to myself what I think it is]. I finally had to look it up for myself and this is what I found out about it's statement: "The piece is a statement about the paradoxical simultaneous American fascinations with both a "sense of place" and the mobility and freedom of the automobile." There you have it!

Some people that were leaving gave Gary and Taryn their half used can of gold spray paint...and then the fun really began. They spent a lot of time out there and lets just say I got some needed bbow cleaning done.

After that thrill we went to Cavenders Boot City. Gary's '92 cowboy boots have long been gone and he could hardly wait to get another pair in Texas. Taryn has been dreaming of a pair herself so they had a blast trying on boots and making this big decision. Now I'm not much for cowboy boots but Gary insisted we all get a pair so I ended up with some very nice boots too.

We then cruised down in the historic district of Route 66. Way cool retro buildings and signs to see there. We found a fifties joint to eat at but they were just closing so we went on to the next place. There were a bunch of bikers there and it looked a bit iffy but wanted to eat somewhere on Route 66 and there weren't many options left. The closer we got the less comfortable we were with this decision. There were a lot of beer bottles on the bikers tables. We hesitated a moment and just as we turned to leave a friendly biker walked up to us and invited us in saying it was a family friendly place that served great food.

Not wanting to be rude we thanked him, walked in and took an outside table as far on the edge as we could. I think every biker there was smoking and sipping a brew. We were so very uncomfortable but then the friendly biker pulled up a chair to join us. A waitress with a cleavage issue took our burger order as we visited with our smokin', drinkin' biker friend.

It seems we were just as fascinating to them as they were to us. They were quite curious about us and our bbow. All thru our lunch we received these friendly visitors at our table to find out where we were from and where we were headed. We got a friendly send off as we departed in our bbow.

Back at our "resort" we prepared for leaving in the morning. We were just ready to head out to the hot tub when another storm hit and it was big one. For more than an hour and a half there was pounding rain, wind, thunder, lightning and even hail. But when it's over it's over, so we were off to the hot tub. It was there that I was terrorized by several monster lizards. It's a frightening story but unfortunately am out of room on this post.