Gail here - We're in Brookhaven, NY, on the southern shore of Long Island, staying with Rob's brother Tom and Kath his wife. It was an easy drive across Delaware, New Jersey on the New Jersey Turnpike, and New York until we got to NYC. I was driving, luckily, because the Nanny sent us through the Lincoln Tunnel and dumped us out on the streets of Manhattan! Yikes! We traversed the width of the island on 34th street hoping for a miracle. I think Carolyn heard some sailor-blue language from me yelling at the Nanny. I think I fired her at one point.
The lemonade out of lemons part of the story is that CJ got a quick tour of NYC. She saw all the famous streets - 34th, Broadway, Madison, Park - and the famous giant Macy's. She squeezed in this sightseeing in between gasps and white knuckle moments in the melee of NYC traffic. But I guess the Nanny redeemed herself because she got us back on 495 headed for Long Island even though the skyscrapers kept messing with her satellite connection.
I'm happy to share Brookhaven with CJ since so much of Rob's history is here, and we always love visiting family here. We're off to visit my cousin Melissa today, and headed for Maine tomorrow.
Monday, December 31, 2007
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Mile 4220
Gail here - Greetings from Salisbury, Maryland! We've been making steady progress north, but haven't been able to blog due to no internet access. It's hard to imagine there are still places without it. Oops, that's my CA girl showing through. We've got several days to report, so here goes...
12/27 - We went into Savannah, Georgia, early in the day looking for the
stereotypical southern houses. There were a few, but it was much less grandiose and more sleepy than I had expected. It seemed as if the city was mostly deserted making us forget to watch for traffic on our walking tour. The city has these very cool "squares" (21 of them) scattered a few blocks apart in a grid. They have ancient oak trees with weeping spanish moss, fountains, and lush understory gardens. The houses on the adjacent streets face into the square. They are such beautiful green spaces. The oak trees line the streets with their branches overlapping so they are these awesome shady green tunnels. Much of the oldest construction used oyster shells imbedded in mud 
for the walls. Even the sidewalks were made with oyster shells making them look like white sandy beaches.
Then we drove up to Charleston, South Carolina. We drove along the coast to avoid the interstate and see the countryside. It was full of waterways, marshes, scrub, and oak/pine forests. Charleston is a bustling tourist town. We drove down the main drag past all the fancy designer shops (ick) till we got to the battery at Charleston harbor. We walked along Bay Street and oogled at the amazing historic houses. They have a unique style here of long narrow houses
that sit perpendicular to the street so that that the piazzas (porches) and front doors are along one side. Many of the houses are 3 stories, with full length piazzas on all 3 stories. We finally had to ask if Charleston had any ATMs because we never saw one or even a bank. All their ATMs are inside the businesses in the very back (flashing your money machines would be gauche in this genteel southern town). Even though it was late in the day we headed west again (that felt wierd) to try to see the big plantations out along the Ashley River. We were too late to do more than look at their historic markers and one visitor kiosk. We got some miles in by driving to Georgetown, along the Grand Strand (beach route) of South Carolina.
12/28 - We set our sights on reaching the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The guidebook recommended reservations for the ferry on the southern end, so we called. Good thing because our pokey pace would mean we could only catch the 4:30 pm boat. Putting us onto a tiny island at 7 pm without a motel reservation seemed unwise, so we started calling the few available. Most were closed for the season, but I left a message on the only one we found. We got to
the proverbial fork in the road where we had to decide to go or skip it so we tried the motel one more time. Luckily, she called right back, so we were off to Cedar Island for the ferry.
The ferry ride was 2 hours and 15 minutes and landed in Ocracoke. We stayed in a classic seaside 1950s motel with paper thin walls. We had a view of our first lighthouse out of the bathroom window. Aside from the noisy neighbors, we also had an interesting eerie sound that permeated the motel. It sounded alot like Moaning Myrtle, but maybe more pleasant. We never did figure that one out.
Mile 3923 - 12/29 The next morning dawned warm and sunny. The weather has been amazingly warm and balmy. Carolyn's been in short sleeves for the last two days - it hit 71 degrees today. We drove up the Outer Banks on a little
two lane road, sometimes with a sandy beach and water on both sides of the car. We crossed from Ocracoke Island on a short ferry and had a couple short rain showers that started each time we got out of the car to look around. About 80% of the islands are either National Park or National Wildlife Refuge. We thought of Brent when we went to walk on the beach where every resident of the island was spending their Saturday surf fishing. They had the most interesting rigs on their trucks to haul an ice chest and all 
their poles standing up - on either the front or rear bumper. We stopped and took photos at each lighthouse and stopped in Kitty Hawk for a tour of the Wright Brothers National Monument. (cj here - I'll remember the mock-up of the plane when I'm boarding my jet for the trip home - YIKES!). It was interesting to think how far we've come and the guts it took to fly the first powered plane. We continued on and experienced our first real rain while driving. Luckily, it was clear when we spent the $12 toll to cross all 22+ miles of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnels. They put tunnels where the shipping lanes are! The bridges are four lane separated, but the tunnel sections were only one each way. What do they do during rush hour??
Brad has enjoyed the humidity of late, but still shares our room. After living with me for the last 27 years, I couldn't leave my beloved schefflera behind in CA. Y'all can probably figure out how he got his name...We owe some big thanks to Vin and Doris for the yummy biscotti that gets us through "elevenses", and Brenda for all the chocolatey goodies that get us through the "fourses". Lastly, the moving van arrived safely in Rockland last Thursday. Rob says all the boxes will be unpacked by the time we arrive next week. Yippee!
12/27 - We went into Savannah, Georgia, early in the day looking for the
stereotypical southern houses. There were a few, but it was much less grandiose and more sleepy than I had expected. It seemed as if the city was mostly deserted making us forget to watch for traffic on our walking tour. The city has these very cool "squares" (21 of them) scattered a few blocks apart in a grid. They have ancient oak trees with weeping spanish moss, fountains, and lush understory gardens. The houses on the adjacent streets face into the square. They are such beautiful green spaces. The oak trees line the streets with their branches overlapping so they are these awesome shady green tunnels. Much of the oldest construction used oyster shells imbedded in mud 
for the walls. Even the sidewalks were made with oyster shells making them look like white sandy beaches.Then we drove up to Charleston, South Carolina. We drove along the coast to avoid the interstate and see the countryside. It was full of waterways, marshes, scrub, and oak/pine forests. Charleston is a bustling tourist town. We drove down the main drag past all the fancy designer shops (ick) till we got to the battery at Charleston harbor. We walked along Bay Street and oogled at the amazing historic houses. They have a unique style here of long narrow houses
that sit perpendicular to the street so that that the piazzas (porches) and front doors are along one side. Many of the houses are 3 stories, with full length piazzas on all 3 stories. We finally had to ask if Charleston had any ATMs because we never saw one or even a bank. All their ATMs are inside the businesses in the very back (flashing your money machines would be gauche in this genteel southern town). Even though it was late in the day we headed west again (that felt wierd) to try to see the big plantations out along the Ashley River. We were too late to do more than look at their historic markers and one visitor kiosk. We got some miles in by driving to Georgetown, along the Grand Strand (beach route) of South Carolina.12/28 - We set our sights on reaching the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The guidebook recommended reservations for the ferry on the southern end, so we called. Good thing because our pokey pace would mean we could only catch the 4:30 pm boat. Putting us onto a tiny island at 7 pm without a motel reservation seemed unwise, so we started calling the few available. Most were closed for the season, but I left a message on the only one we found. We got to
the proverbial fork in the road where we had to decide to go or skip it so we tried the motel one more time. Luckily, she called right back, so we were off to Cedar Island for the ferry.The ferry ride was 2 hours and 15 minutes and landed in Ocracoke. We stayed in a classic seaside 1950s motel with paper thin walls. We had a view of our first lighthouse out of the bathroom window. Aside from the noisy neighbors, we also had an interesting eerie sound that permeated the motel. It sounded alot like Moaning Myrtle, but maybe more pleasant. We never did figure that one out.
Mile 3923 - 12/29 The next morning dawned warm and sunny. The weather has been amazingly warm and balmy. Carolyn's been in short sleeves for the last two days - it hit 71 degrees today. We drove up the Outer Banks on a little
two lane road, sometimes with a sandy beach and water on both sides of the car. We crossed from Ocracoke Island on a short ferry and had a couple short rain showers that started each time we got out of the car to look around. About 80% of the islands are either National Park or National Wildlife Refuge. We thought of Brent when we went to walk on the beach where every resident of the island was spending their Saturday surf fishing. They had the most interesting rigs on their trucks to haul an ice chest and all 
their poles standing up - on either the front or rear bumper. We stopped and took photos at each lighthouse and stopped in Kitty Hawk for a tour of the Wright Brothers National Monument. (cj here - I'll remember the mock-up of the plane when I'm boarding my jet for the trip home - YIKES!). It was interesting to think how far we've come and the guts it took to fly the first powered plane. We continued on and experienced our first real rain while driving. Luckily, it was clear when we spent the $12 toll to cross all 22+ miles of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnels. They put tunnels where the shipping lanes are! The bridges are four lane separated, but the tunnel sections were only one each way. What do they do during rush hour??Brad has enjoyed the humidity of late, but still shares our room. After living with me for the last 27 years, I couldn't leave my beloved schefflera behind in CA. Y'all can probably figure out how he got his name...We owe some big thanks to Vin and Doris for the yummy biscotti that gets us through "elevenses", and Brenda for all the chocolatey goodies that get us through the "fourses". Lastly, the moving van arrived safely in Rockland last Thursday. Rob says all the boxes will be unpacked by the time we arrive next week. Yippee!
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Mile 3453
Carolyn here - Thanks to Ruth and Sara for a great two days of Christmas food 
and laughs. I was so far away from home and they made me feel welcome and "homey". They also told us about the Homosassa Springs State Wildlife Park. OK, I know the movie says "lions and tigers and bears, oh my" but Gail and I were singing "manatees and whooping cranes and Florida panthers, OH MY"!! The purists among you are frowning right now and I feel a little guilty about seeing them in a Florida State Park but I don't care, I got to see them and I'm counting them! It was a park 
that deals with rehab animals and that accounts for the whooping cranes (YEAH!) and the Florida panthers but they also had a freshwater spring putting out a huge amount of fresh water that was a constant temperature of 72 degrees. The manatees like this temperature and are attracted to this spring year-round. The fish in the spring are the clean up crew, eating the algae off the manatees. It has always been a dream of mine to see these animals and I was excited for hours. They are HUGE! and vegetarian so I'll have to find another way to lose weight. We spent the rest of the day driving up the coast route to Savanna, Georgia. We drove past some beautiful un-channeled rivers with great tidal marshes. Such a wonder!
and laughs. I was so far away from home and they made me feel welcome and "homey". They also told us about the Homosassa Springs State Wildlife Park. OK, I know the movie says "lions and tigers and bears, oh my" but Gail and I were singing "manatees and whooping cranes and Florida panthers, OH MY"!! The purists among you are frowning right now and I feel a little guilty about seeing them in a Florida State Park but I don't care, I got to see them and I'm counting them! It was a park 
that deals with rehab animals and that accounts for the whooping cranes (YEAH!) and the Florida panthers but they also had a freshwater spring putting out a huge amount of fresh water that was a constant temperature of 72 degrees. The manatees like this temperature and are attracted to this spring year-round. The fish in the spring are the clean up crew, eating the algae off the manatees. It has always been a dream of mine to see these animals and I was excited for hours. They are HUGE! and vegetarian so I'll have to find another way to lose weight. We spent the rest of the day driving up the coast route to Savanna, Georgia. We drove past some beautiful un-channeled rivers with great tidal marshes. Such a wonder!
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Mile 3164
Gail here - Merry Christmas to y'all from Spring Hill, Florida. We're here with my "outlaw" 
sister, Ruth, and my niece, Sara. The drive down from Tallahassee was uneventful with the exception of seeing dinosaurs along route 19. Ruth says route 19 is called "the most dangerous highway in Florida". It's hard to tell if that is from the view point of the elder residents or the rest of the drivers trying to avoid them. Whatever the case, it was calm and empty yesterday.
The nanny did a good job of getting us to Ruth's house, but I'm sure we were giving her a headache. We kept pulling U turns to take a picture of...
.sandhill cranes on the lawn! Now all we need to see are the alligators that live in the fountain pools at the development entrance and the whooping cranes on the golf course. Except for the great people we visited, we could have skipped New Mexico and Louisana! We're having a kick-back day today so don't expect another blog entry until after the 26th. MERRY CHRISTMAS!
sister, Ruth, and my niece, Sara. The drive down from Tallahassee was uneventful with the exception of seeing dinosaurs along route 19. Ruth says route 19 is called "the most dangerous highway in Florida". It's hard to tell if that is from the view point of the elder residents or the rest of the drivers trying to avoid them. Whatever the case, it was calm and empty yesterday.The nanny did a good job of getting us to Ruth's house, but I'm sure we were giving her a headache. We kept pulling U turns to take a picture of...
.sandhill cranes on the lawn! Now all we need to see are the alligators that live in the fountain pools at the development entrance and the whooping cranes on the golf course. Except for the great people we visited, we could have skipped New Mexico and Louisana! We're having a kick-back day today so don't expect another blog entry until after the 26th. MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Monday, December 24, 2007
Mile 2957
Carolyn here - Yesterday I learned that our travel assistant is only as good as the information that you provide it. We left our gracious hosts Larry and Diana and I gave the nanny our destination city, however, I entered the state of Louisiana, not Mississippi. Oops. Luckily Gail recognized our problem quickly and it only took us a few miles out of our way. We got off the main freeway in Mississippi and traveled along the gulf coast so we could view the devastation/recovery of Katrina. A good portion of the clean-up work is done, there were very few abandoned houses or buildings left to see, but miles of foundations or porch steps. 
Very sad. We were surprised to see the number of beautiful live oaks still standing. A talented artist has been busy carving the stumps of the dead trees into local wildlife and that provided a bright spot along the way. We saw lots of rebuilt new houses and 
miles of road construction. It wasn't hard to imagine all the beach sand covering the highway. Not surprising to us was the number of casinos that had been rebuilt, you could tell who had the money and influence. If you like waffles, this is the place to be! We see a Waffle House (or damaged sign) about every mile along the way. We then continued to the Mississippi border, through Alabama and on to Tallahassee Florida where we spent the night.
Very sad. We were surprised to see the number of beautiful live oaks still standing. A talented artist has been busy carving the stumps of the dead trees into local wildlife and that provided a bright spot along the way. We saw lots of rebuilt new houses and 
miles of road construction. It wasn't hard to imagine all the beach sand covering the highway. Not surprising to us was the number of casinos that had been rebuilt, you could tell who had the money and influence. If you like waffles, this is the place to be! We see a Waffle House (or damaged sign) about every mile along the way. We then continued to the Mississippi border, through Alabama and on to Tallahassee Florida where we spent the night. Sunday, December 23, 2007
Baton Rouge/New Orleans
Gail here - Steve - As we crossed the Mississippi, you'll never believe the sign we saw! I should never have doubted you! Ok, well it wasn't right on the Miss...
There is so much to share from the last two days! We are staying with a dear friend of mine, Diana, and her family in Baton Rouge. She took time off to be our tour guide. On Friday we went on a nature walk in the Bluebonnet Swamp here which is a beautiful example of a cypress forest. After a cajun lunch we toured a French Creole plantation house which is the oldest wooden house in Baton Rouge. We visited Mike the tiger, the LSU mascot, on our way home. He lives in a brand new $2.5 million enclosure on campus. Sorry Oscar.
Yesterday was a blast. We took Pablo's advice! We started the day with a
swamp tour run by these two guys who liquidated all their assets to buy a 1,300 acre cypress-tupelo swamp to save it from being drained, harvested for timber, and turned into a landfill. They run a gator rescue program and play it up big for the tourists.They have a very strong conservation message, and of course, deliver it with a very witty repetoire. We saw lots of white ibis, egrets, 
herons, and a bald eagle. In their show they use a nutria (large aquatic rodent with very soft fur), baby and teenage alligators, an oppossum, and a big rat snake. Because Diana knew these guys, we got a special tour at the end to meet Bobbette - one of their rescue bobcats. I think Carolyn still has all her fingers...
herons, and a bald eagle. In their show they use a nutria (large aquatic rodent with very soft fur), baby and teenage alligators, an oppossum, and a big rat snake. Because Diana knew these guys, we got a special tour at the end to meet Bobbette - one of their rescue bobcats. I think Carolyn still has all her fingers...Then off to New Orleans! We decided to just visit the French Quarter since it was mid-afternoon already. Also, we'll be driving through the devastated Mississippi coast today. Getting there is the epitomy of Louisiana - miles and miles of highway built on bridges over swamps. We walked a big circuit of blocks looking at hotels, shops of every variety, bars, clubs, and historic buildings. There was fantastic music of a dozen varieties pouring out of the bars, street performers, and amazing architecture. For a Saturday night, it was remarkably uncrowded. Diana says that's still the aftermath of Katrina - locals who will never return and tourists who are still staying away. I love the signs of things you'll probably never see anywhere else, such as "Cocktails To Go!" and 
"Swamp Shots - Coonass Waterin' Hole." We had more cajun food (gumbo and muffellatta), and finished off with beignets and cafe au lait at Cafe du Monde. Perfect! On the way to the car, a classic Louisiana downpour trapped us under an awning for a 1/2 hour while about 3 inches of rain fell.
"Swamp Shots - Coonass Waterin' Hole." We had more cajun food (gumbo and muffellatta), and finished off with beignets and cafe au lait at Cafe du Monde. Perfect! On the way to the car, a classic Louisiana downpour trapped us under an awning for a 1/2 hour while about 3 inches of rain fell. We're hitting the road for a two day drive to the Tampa area today. Season's greetings from the south!
Friday, December 21, 2007
Mile 2495
Carolyn here - wow, we've been lazy and now I have a lot of catching up to do. We had a great time visiting with Adrienne and Heath and their two kids Mason and Gates. What cuties! We explored a local park that included a science center so I got to touch the outside shell (?) of an armadillo - OK, it was dead but I think it should count. I haven't given up seeing a live one on the side of the road but they aren't as numerous as I'd heard - road kill doesn't count. Gail slipped into the grandma role very easily and we enjoyed playing with the boys. It's a different world in Louisiana. We've tried to stay off the main roads, so we traveled through lots of small towns and enjoyed seeing the countyside. It has recently rained so there is a lot of standing water everywhere along the roads. Miles of it, complete with moss hanging from trees and large cypress trees. The hardwood forest has this amazing understory of palmettos, like 3 foot high palm trees everywhere. The water is a great chocolate color and sometimes has a layer of a green algae type growth. My hair has finally lost the static electricity that has plagued me in the desert. Another big thrill was to cross the Mississippi River - now that's a river! We'll be staying in Baton Rouge for a few days so Gail and Diana can catch up on their lives - if last night was any indication, it's going to take more than a few days! As it is with good friends, they started right in as if they saw each other every day. We're going off exploring today so stay tuned for the next exciting adventure! XXOO cj
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Mile 2036
Gail - We stayed last night in Lamesa, TX - a bit more off the beaten path than we had expected. It was the first point where we both realized it was a good thing I wasn't traveling by myself. We were safe, but I would have felt uncomfortable there alone. Today's 
traveling wasn't too exciting. We opted to stay off the interstate and take a parallel path to the north. It started out looking like Tulare County - miles of post harvest cotton fields. But soon we were riding through some great rolling country with scrubby vegetation, lakes, and juniper/oak forests. We saw lots of hawks and pick up trucks.
We arrived in Arlington about 2 at Adrienne and Heath's house. It got so warm (70) on the drive over that I thought about turning the air conditioner on! We had a fun afternoon and evening visiting with them and playing with my grandsons, Mason (4) and Gates (1). Adrienne says Carolyn can never leave because she entertains Mason so well!
traveling wasn't too exciting. We opted to stay off the interstate and take a parallel path to the north. It started out looking like Tulare County - miles of post harvest cotton fields. But soon we were riding through some great rolling country with scrubby vegetation, lakes, and juniper/oak forests. We saw lots of hawks and pick up trucks.
We arrived in Arlington about 2 at Adrienne and Heath's house. It got so warm (70) on the drive over that I thought about turning the air conditioner on! We had a fun afternoon and evening visiting with them and playing with my grandsons, Mason (4) and Gates (1). Adrienne says Carolyn can never leave because she entertains Mason so well!
Mile 1744
Carolyn here - Well, we're in Texas and we heard our first "ya'all" at dinner last night. I feel like I'm "not in Kansas anymore." We said goodby to Tami and Mark and hit the road a little later than we'd planned. We saw the beautiful Guadelupe mountains and then lots of flat land until we reached Carlsbad Caverns. I was blown away with the beauty of the caverns. It isn't prime tourist 
season so we felt like we had the caverns to ourselves. There were lots of times that we couldn't hear or see anyone else. Almost spooky. Beautiful formations and when you think about the time that it took for them to form, I felt even shorter and smaller. We got some exercise by taking the natural entrance and walking about 3 miles. It felt good after being in the car for so long. Beautiful vista from the visitors center, there is lots of empty open land out here. We're heading toward Dallas today so off we go. XXOO cj
season so we felt like we had the caverns to ourselves. There were lots of times that we couldn't hear or see anyone else. Almost spooky. Beautiful formations and when you think about the time that it took for them to form, I felt even shorter and smaller. We got some exercise by taking the natural entrance and walking about 3 miles. It felt good after being in the car for so long. Beautiful vista from the visitors center, there is lots of empty open land out here. We're heading toward Dallas today so off we go. XXOO cj
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Mile 1385
Gail - Firstly, thanks to you all for posting comments. We look forward to them because you keep us laughing and it makes us feel like you are there exploring with us. Keep commenting (we'll make room for you in the back seat)!
Today we had a much saner pace. We stayed in Socorro, New Mexico last night, finding a decent motel within walking distance of the microbrewery. We had a leisurely morning before heading south to Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. We were under the impression that it was one of the places to find wintering whooping cranes. But no. There were lots of sandhill cranes, snow geese, and assorted waterfowl. We thought it was odd that there were lots of images of whooping cranes in the visitor's center and published literature, but that they do not yet winter here. It would have been cool to see a bird that is bigger than Carolyn!
One of the best sights today was a pair of coyotes that were sort of stalking a small group of Canada geese that were standing on a frozen pond. The yotes didn't actually chase the geese, but they circled the pond with longing gazes, licking their chops the whole way. We also had a huge flock of snow geese circle over the car for about 5 minutes. It sounded and looked so cool, I experimented with the video feature of the camera. We finished out the 12 mile driving loop by seeing a pair of bald eagles sitting together on a limb of a dead tree in the midst of a frozen pond.
We're having a lovely evening with Mark and Tammy in Las Cruces. The nanny (our British accented GPS travel assistant) took us unerringly to their door. Tammy made a fantastic New Mexico dinner with locally grown chilies and traditional pinto beans.
Today we had a much saner pace. We stayed in Socorro, New Mexico last night, finding a decent motel within walking distance of the microbrewery. We had a leisurely morning before heading south to Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. We were under the impression that it was one of the places to find wintering whooping cranes. But no. There were lots of sandhill cranes, snow geese, and assorted waterfowl. We thought it was odd that there were lots of images of whooping cranes in the visitor's center and published literature, but that they do not yet winter here. It would have been cool to see a bird that is bigger than Carolyn!
One of the best sights today was a pair of coyotes that were sort of stalking a small group of Canada geese that were standing on a frozen pond. The yotes didn't actually chase the geese, but they circled the pond with longing gazes, licking their chops the whole way. We also had a huge flock of snow geese circle over the car for about 5 minutes. It sounded and looked so cool, I experimented with the video feature of the camera. We finished out the 12 mile driving loop by seeing a pair of bald eagles sitting together on a limb of a dead tree in the midst of a frozen pond.
We're having a lovely evening with Mark and Tammy in Las Cruces. The nanny (our British accented GPS travel assistant) took us unerringly to their door. Tammy made a fantastic New Mexico dinner with locally grown chilies and traditional pinto beans.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Mile 1215
Carolyn - After a delightful visit in Prescott with Gail's mom, we got an early start this morning and hit the road about 7:30. After a short drive, we took a side trip and visited Montezeuma's Castle, an old indian ruin built into the side of a cliff. We met a volunteer from Modesto there - small world! We had lunch at a spot called Tonto Natural Bridge and saw Javilinas (wild pigs) and a Cardinal that was on the westernmost edge of it's range. We crossed the Continental Divide so it's all downhill from here and we're heading toward the Atlantic. New Mexico has some pretty strange scenery, lots of Pinion Pines, calderas and SETI arrays (ok, maybe just astronomical dishes - Jodie Foster where are you?). The Pronghorns 
have lots of room to roam (we saw lots of them). Most of the journey today was spent above 5000 ft (highest point 7500) so it was cold with snow covering the surrounding countryside. Don't worry Steve, the road was clear and dry. Probably the strangest sight today was the Christmas tree made out of antlers, we had to backtrack back to take a photo of that one!
Friday, December 14, 2007
Mile 801
Gail - Greetings from Prescott, AZ. We had a blitz driving day yesterday, only stopping for coffee, gas ($2.95/gal just east of Needles in AZ), and a sandwich. We've been trying to come up with a name for the GPS travel assistant. She's a demanding and bossy woman (and I don't mean Carolyn). It's definitely a female voice, and she tells us what to do in an uncompromising way! She was a big help finding a Starbucks in Barstow, and only led us astray in Prescott (the trickster). We're looking for suggestions for a name for her...
Today we're visiting with Mom, planning our route and days, hiking in the adjacent forest, and getting the car's oil changed. Tomorrow is another blitz day across mid Arizona (Payson, Show Low, Springerville) and into San Antonio, NM, for the night. ttfn, Gail
Today we're visiting with Mom, planning our route and days, hiking in the adjacent forest, and getting the car's oil changed. Tomorrow is another blitz day across mid Arizona (Payson, Show Low, Springerville) and into San Antonio, NM, for the night. ttfn, Gail
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Mile 321
Carolyn here - When two native California girls head off to Maine, they choose to travel on the warm dry southern route rather than the northern icy cold (freeze your a**) route. Eventually we'll have to head north but we're waiting until the last moment to do that. Bakersfield made a nice first stop on this adventure, we stayed with Patty and Dale and enjoyed some wonderful company. We're getting ready for a long driving day to Gail's mom's house in Prescott AZ - more information to come. XXOO
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Mile 0-185, December 10-12
And so it starts - The movers arrived at 9 am Monday the 11th and had the whole house loaded on the truck by 1 pm. I finished tidying up and loading the car by 3 pm. I gave my neighbor Dorcie a hug for being a great neighbor and cat sitter and I was off! I drove to Clovis to Steve and Carolyn's house and was in time for a dinner gathering with some of the Happy Campers. Tuesday we ran errands, and met up with more friends for the annual Christmas Tree Lane walk in Fresno. What a treat to get to see the camping friends and a couple DFG friends I did not think I'd get to say goodbye to! Wednesday afternoon and we're officially starting the girls road trip - off to Patty's house in Bakersfield ...
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