Tag Archives: Road trip

A Bit of Birding Heaven…

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In case you missed it, we hit the road in the middle of March and headed to Florida in our van. You can read about it here: A Week Or So On The Road.

On our last day in Naples, Florida, we visited Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, one of my favorite spots in that city. I’ve been there in March before and found it full of wildlife. But this time there were fewer large birds, no visible alligators, and most of the smaller birds were well-hidden. I did manage to see a white-eyed vireo for the first time, though, so I can add that to my lifer list. 🙂

That night we met up with our North Carolina friends, Cathy and Don, who were in Florida visiting their sons.

We snagged a campsite near theirs at Magnolia Park Campground, about twenty miles northwest of Orlando. To our delight, we were greeted by their resident peafowl (peacocks and peahens).

In the morning, while Mark went for a run, I tagged along with Cathy and Don on a wildlife drive near Lake Apopka. It did NOT disappoint!

I’m guessing that’s enough about birds for one blog post! I’ll leave you to scroll through again if you haven’t gotten your fill or to finish here and patiently wait for more news of our adventures! Until next time… peace. 🙂

A Week Or So On The Road

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We left home on a mid-March Monday morning, the van packed with warm-weather clothes and all the essentials. But the first few nights were still chilly. The heat in the van, set at fifty-nine degrees, blessedly kicked on during those nights.

Monday night we spent at a KOA (Kampground of America) in New Jersey. The next morning I took a walk along the road in front of the KOA, while my husband, Mark, ran.

Tuesday night we stayed in Emporia, Virginia, and headed for the Santee Lakes region of South Carolina on Wednesday. We were pleasantly surprised to find a Buc-ee’s along the way! We first came across the Buc-ee’s chain in Texas, but didn’t know they were so far east.

The Santee National Wildlife Refuge was the perfect spot for a walk/run Wednesday afternoon— even though the thought of alligators crossing my path kept me on high alert. 🙂 It was also the site of Fort Watson, a key stronghold taken from the British during the Revolutionary War.

After trekking through the Wildlife Refuge for the afternoon, we checked in at the Santee Lakes KOA in plenty of time for a beautiful sunset.

We returned to the Wildlife Refuge early the next morning before heading off to St. Augustine.

On Friday morning, we walked the grounds around the St. Augustine Lighthouse, then climbed to the top—all two hundred nineteen steps of its metal spiral staircase. I could feel my stomach flipping out and my legs getting shaky, but all was good as long as Mark stayed behind me on the way up and in front of me on the way back down. 🙂

At the top of the lighthouse—surprise! surprise!—Mark found a fellow lover of Treehouse beer. They talked for several minutes while I took in the view.

I spied a tree down below full of birds and asked the guide what I was looking at. He told us there was a rookery nearby at The Alligator Farm. So, we headed back down the spiral staircase in search of birds.

We drove around the block and found the St. Augustine Alligator Farm. But it didn’t seem worth the $35 apiece to enter. So, we walked down the sidewalk to find that the trees we’d seen from atop the lighthouse. They were just on the other side of a fence. We had a much less expensive, but very satisfactory view from the sidewalk. We saw plenty of wood storks, roseate spoonbills, and egrets coming and going.

Mark still needed to get a run in that day, so after the rookery we drove to the St. Augustine State Trail at the Vermont Heights Trailhead. He ran in one direction while I walked in another. A peaceful spot for exercise with the added bonus of restrooms on site.

Friday night, we stayed at a KOA near Kennedy Space Center. Little did we know, a Spacex rocket was scheduled to launch that night. We joined a small crowd gathered at the right spot (according to those in the know) and, sure enough, a fireball shot into the sky just after 8:20 p.m. Too far away for decent pictures, but we all took them anyway.

In the morning we stopped at Brevard Zoo Linear Park in Melbourne, Florida. Mark went for a run while I attended my monthly Poetry Circle via Zoom. After my Zoom meeting, I squeezed in a short walk before we hit the road again.

We spent the weekend with friends in Boca Raton, arriving late Saturday afternoon in time for dinner. Cliff and Susan were gracious hosts and we enjoyed walking/running in their neighborhood, relaxing by their pool, and eating out in Delray Beach on St. Patrick’s Day.

We said goodbye on Monday morning and travelled Alligator Alley (I-75) through The Everglades to Naples where we spent a few days with my dad.

My dad’s condo is right on the water, so I took my morning walks along a 1.25-mile paved path at the edge of the sand. Mark used the path, but ran along Gulf Shore Boulevard, as well. We also walked down the street to the Village Shops on Venetian Bay, went out for dinner at Mr. Big Fish one night, saw Cabrini at a brand-new fancy cinema nearby, and watched the sunset on our last night in Naples. Mark was able to visit with a couple of old friends who were staying in Naples, too.

All in all, we enjoyed the people and places we visited and the wildlife we encountered. We left Naples on a Thursday morning and headed back north, stopping at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary on the way. But that’s a story for another day… 🙂

Autumn Road Trip: Are We Home Yet?

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Yes, we are. But there’s so much more of our adventure left to share. If you want to catch up on previous posts you can start with Autumn Road Trip: Part I. Otherwise, hold on to your hat as we fly through the second half of our trip.

We stayed in Page, Arizona, for a second night after our day trip to Zion National Park. The next morning was the day of the annular eclipse. We didn’t have any special eclipse glasses, so we missed out. The only photo I got was taken by aiming my camera in the direction of the sun while the sky dimmed. Mark took his morning run on the top of the mesa next to the KOA.

The first part of our afternoon was spent at Glen Canyon dam in Page.

Then we headed south to Horseshoe Bend to be amazed by yet another natural land formation!

From Horseshoe Bend, we headed farther south to Flagstaff, AZ, where we stayed overnight at a another KOA. The next morning we found a great place to run/hike just next door. I chose to hike Fatmans loop, which sounded like it would be easy. It turned out to be a bit of a challenge. But I learned what an alligator tree is. And I saw my first acorn woodpecker.

We couldn’t resist stopping in Winslow, AZ, since we were in the area. And, of course, we had to duck into the local brewing company to have dinner with . . . the locals.

We had plans to head to Texas, but wanted to spend some time in Taos and Santa Fe first. So, we stopped back at our friends’ house in Albuquerque for the night. They were thrilled to see us again! At least that’s what they said. 🙂

The next day we drove north to Taos and checked out some of the art galleries. After all, as the signs say, Taos is art! We also toured the Taos Pueblo, continuously inhabited for over one thousand years and designated as a World Heritage Site and a National Historic Landmark.

We then stopped by San Francisco de Asis church in Taos at the end of our day.

After a night at the KOA in Santa Fe, we drove into downtown Santa Fe for some shopping and sightseeing. First stop, The Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi.

And a short walk from there brought us to the Loretto Chapel, home of the mysterious spiral staircase. Interesting stories swirl around this gravity-defying structure of very curious origin.

The rest of the afternoon, which wasn’t nearly long enough, we browsed the shops of Santa Fe. Then we hit the road to drive straight south to San Antonio, New Mexico, to park overnight in a big dirt lot disguised as an RV park. Sparse, but adequate. (We were told to watch out for wild boars if we went outside at night to use the facilities.) It was there I saw my first Gambel’s quail. Cute and so funny to watch!

Our friends, Liz & Dan, had recommended Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in San Antonio as a great birding spot. And it was the perfect time of year to catch a glimpse of the migrating sandhill cranes. So, we got up very early the next morning and arrived before it officially opened. And we saw cranes (among other wildlife)!

The Bosque turned out to be a great adventure — even if Mark had to keep an eye out for mountain lions during his morning run!

We were ready to head to Texas to visit friends in Waxahachie. But guess what city lay in our path on the way? Roswell, New Mexico. Of course, we had to stop. We stayed at a lovely little RV Park in Roswell, took a morning walk/run at a park down the street, and then had time to stop at the National UFO Research Center & Museum.

We crossed into Texas that afternoon, but Texas is a big state! We had reservations at an RV park that didn’t look all that inviting, so we checked in to the Holiday Inn down the street instead. It was the one and only night we spent in a hotel during the entire trip. And it turned out to be a good decision, since we were able to virtually attend our good friend’s funeral the next morning in the comfort of a hotel room with reliable wifi.

That afternoon, we drove a few hours along a long, flat road lined with ranches, wind turbines, and empty landscapes to Abilene, Texas.

When we arrived at our campsite by mid-afternoon, the ninety-one degree full-sun site drove us to take refuge at a local mall for a few hours. The next day we made it to Waxahachie, just south of Dallas. Our hosts, Brett & Judy, graciously insisted that we come inside and make ourselves comfortable in their guest room.

They took us out to an Autumn festival in Ennis. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many different kinds of pumpkins in one place! And we ended the day with a visit to Buc-ee’s — a famous gas station/everything-under-the-sun market I’d never heard of and had no idea that I’d been missing!

The next day, they recommended a nice park nearby for a morning walk/run.

In the afternoon, they took us down to The Stock Yards in Fort Worth to see the Longhorns.

Once we left Waxahachie, our only plan on the way home was to stop at Mammoth Caves National Park in Kentucky. So, we went to the map and outlined our route home. Both Memphis and Nashville were in our path. Since Nashville deserves a trip of its own, we aimed to spend a little time in Memphis. But our first night, we stayed at a KOA in Texarkana. And we found a nice park nearby for an afternoon walk/run, as well as for a repeat visit the next morning.

A day later, we found ourselves in Memphis debating the merits of a visit to Graceland. I wanted to go mostly because I didn’t NOT want to go. I’d always been curious about it. But not curious enough to tack on another $100 just to visit Elvis’s mansion. Yikes! So we went to Graceland. A lot of hype, history, and merchandise, but I must confess I thoroughly enjoyed the up close and personal view of all that bling!

From Memphis, we headed to Nashville and Bearded Iris Brewing for dinner — smashburgers from a food truck.

The next day, a light rain fell as we crossed into Kentucky. Perfect weather for exploring cold, dark caves. Only a few pictures of the caves follow since it was, well, dark in there.

After the caves, we set our sights and our hearts toward home, although the next morning we drove back along Mammoth Cave Road to find a walking/running trail. We actually found a race in progress, but stayed out of their way — mostly.

That night, we stayed at a KOA in Argillite, Kentucky. Being the Saturday before Halloween, we unwittingly camped right in the middle of trick-or-treating. We were unprepared, unfortunately. But it was fun to watch.

Drizzle and fog escorted us into West Virginia the next day and within a couple of days we were in Maryland. We found a great place for a walk/run along the Western Maryland Rail Trail.

We made it to Pennsylvania that afternoon and had dinner at Fegley’s Brew Works in Allentown.

The next morning, we hiked/ran at Trexler Nature Preserve and Environmental Center nearby. It was windy and freezing! So, after a short hike I took refuge in the van while Mark finished his run. (Check out the funny sign we saw when exiting the KOA.)

After lunch, we headed through New Jersey to New York. Our last planned stop was Fidens Brewing in Albany. We intended to park overnight at a nearby Cracker Barrel and drive home in the morning. But, you know how it is when you can taste home. After an early dinner at Fidens . . .

. . . we got back on the road for another three hours and pulled into our own driveway, thirty-six days and eighteen states later.

There’s nothing like living on the road. And there’s nothing like coming home. The van is resting in our driveway now while we enjoy the holidays — and plan for our next adventure!

Autumn Road Trip: A Day in Utah

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In the last installment of our Autumn Road Trip adventures, we left off at a gorgeous spot in Page, Arizona. If you need to refresh your memory, use this link: Arizona. If you need to start at the beginning of our trip, you can click here.

Our plan was pretty fluid at this point, as we were trying to decide how much farther west we wanted to travel. Our only constraint was a plan to arrive at our friends’ place in Waxahachie, Texas, on a particular date. Working backwards from that date on our calendar, we figured we had time for one more day to go west before we needed to start heading southeast. We decided to check out Zion National Park in Utah. And what a great decision that was!

The drive to and through Zion National Park was breathtaking! One awesome view after another around every bend.

The curves and the heights made it feel like a roller coaster at times. And the tunnel! A 1.1 mile narrow tunnel with height and width restrictions and a long line of traffic waiting to pass, as they only allowed one-way traffic through it. At a few intervals inside the tunnel, a large opening would give a brief glimpse of the huge rock formations outside. It was tempting, but impossible (and against the rules), to pull over to take a look. And we were going too fast in the darkness to photograph them.

We pulled over several times before and after the tunnel trying to appreciate and capture the magnitude of the sandstone formations around us. But, as I’ve said before, pictures hardly do it justice.

Traveling from Page, Arizona, we had entered the park from the east, driving along the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway toward the Visitor Center, only experiencing a portion of the large park. We exited into Springdale, a very busy town with lots of traffic and not enough parking spots. We managed to find a small cafe, with a tight parking lot, for lunch. Then we re-traced our route back to Page. Just before exiting the park again, we found the East Rim Trailhead. A perfect spot to run/ hike at the end of the afternoon.

Then, it was back to Page, Arizona, for the night with the promise of more adventures to come.

Autumn Road Trip: Arizona

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Our first adventure in Arizona was at Petrified Forest National Park and Painted Desert. The wind was whipping sand around, trying to take the hats off our heads, but we managed to enjoy the beautiful petrified colors and the pinkish-orange landscape.

The following day, we headed to the Grand Canyon. We’d both been to the Canyon several years ago via helicopter from Las Vegas, but we didn’t get the full on view then. We were looking forward to getting the big picture this time. And it certainly was grand! Hugely magnificent, I must say! Pictures don’t really do it justice.

That night we drove to a KOA in Page, Arizona, situated between two deeply colorful mesas.

This spot was so beautiful and inviting that we decided to come back for a second night after a trip out to Zion National Park in Utah. And I’ll leave you with that teaser, with photos of Utah to come in the next installment of Autumn Road Trip…

🙂

Autumn Road Trip: Balloon Fiesta!!!

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The alarm sounded at 4 a.m. The first day of the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. And we wanted to be there in time for the mass ascension.

We dressed in layers and ventured out into the forty-degree pre-dawn to drive to the local mall where Disney-like lines were forming for the shuttle buses. We had tickets for the 5:30 a.m. shuttle which in reality meant get in line by 5:30, go through a security checkpoint, and board a school bus, eventually.

We finally boarded and joined the crowded route to Balloon Fiesta Park, arriving a bit before 6:30 a.m. It was still dark. When we disembarked, we could see several balloons up in the air already.

The six of us traveled as a pack through the crowds, out onto the field where hundreds of balloons were laid out with their gondola baskets tipped on their sides, in various stages of inflation.

We chose a spot next to one blue and white balloon and watched the process from hook-up to ascension. The heat from the propane blasts felt exceptionally warm and welcomed in the crisp air.

As I tried to figure out a way to organize and share the many, many pictures we took in the chaos between seven and seven-thirty a.m.with a mass ascension of balloons all around us, light dawned. The best way to show how fun and amazing it was, and to replicate some of the chaos, is to throw all the photos at you. Let’s start with the fly-over, just before the mass ascension. Here goes . . .

Had enough yet? Wait! There’s more . . .

It’s hard to wrap your mind around just how big each of these balloons is until you look for the gondola basket hanging below. And there are people in those baskets! If you can, read this post on a full computer or tablet screen to get the best view of all the different balloons.

And in case you need proof we were really there and having fun:

Definitely put the Balloon Fiesta on you bucket list. We’ve checked it off on ours! 🙂

Autumn Road Trip: Part II

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In case anyone’s been wondering, we did make it to Albuquerque. If you need to catch up on the first leg of our trip, you can find it in Part I. We left off with our stay at Labaddie Brewing in Labadie, Missouri, after a visit to the Gateway Arch in St. Louis.

The next day was mostly a driving day, although we stopped at Shaw Nature Reserve in Gray Summit, Missouri, for a morning walk/run.

That night we stayed at the Joplin, Missouri, KOA (Kampgrounds of America). In the morning, Mark ran and I walked loops around the campground before we got on the road. We also had to deal with a cooler leak before we left. This one wasn’t as bad as the leak that happened on our previous trip because we learned to store everything in plastic bins this time. Still, we had some mopping up to do.

As you can see from this photo, the campground was mostly gray dusty gravel that was roused into clouds of gray dust in the morning by a small tractor-pulled rake. It took days to get the dust out of our shoes!

Another long day of driving followed. We entered Oklahoma and landed at our Harvest Hosts destination just after 4 pm: The Stafford Air & Space Museum in Weatherford. We had enough time, or so we thought, to tour the museum before the 5 pm closing time. We were wrong. The museum is named in honor of Weatherford’s hometown hero, Lt. General Thomas P. Stafford, who flew on both Gemini and Apollo missiions with NASA. The museum documents the history of flight with loads of fascinating exhibits and artifacts. We didn’t even get through half of it before closing time.

Out in the parking lot, we were one of two camping vehicles staying the night. We pulled out the Weber grill and Mark grilled some chicken for dinner. The temperature was still fairly warm, so we took a walk through the cute little neighborhood behind the parking lot after dinner. Small neat houses lined wide streets with Hallmark-movie street names like Hayride, Harvest, Cloud Nine, Pumpkin, and Falling Leaves.

The next morning we made a pit stop at the local Walmart and headed west to Arizona by way of Amarillo, Texas. We’d found a Nature Reserve in Amarillo online that looked like a nice place to walk and run. Their website warned of a road closure and gave directions on how to reach their entrance. But road work popped up in every direction we tried to turn in Amarillo. So frustrating! We drove in circles and couldn’t get near the Reserve. We gave up. Our destination for the evening was Tucumcari, New Mexico, so we set our sights on that and left Amarillo behind.

The scenery (and stopping to grab lunch) helped to soothe the frustration. Lots of open land, cows, and wind turbines along the way. Central Time zone gave way to Mountain Time, so we arrived at the Tucumcari/ Route 66 KOA campground in early afternoon.

It was early enough that we thought we’d roll out the awning to shade the sliding door side of the van. The sun was intense. But so was the wind. We took the awning down after ten minutes of strong wind gusts. Mark went out for a run, instead, doing 6.6 miles on route 66 in Tucumcari.

The temperature dropped overnight and at 5 am, with the temp inside the van at 57 degrees, we decided to put the heat on. Our first (chilly) New Mexico sunrise:

We left the campground mid-morning and headed toward Santa Fe. Our friends in Albuquerque were out on a day trip to Sevilleta and wouldn’t be home until late afternoon, so they recommended Santa Fe and the Randall Davey Audubon Center & Sanctuary for us. We enjoyed another scenic drive along the way — so different from New England landscapes. Freight trains with what looked like a hundred cars became a common sighting, as well.

The Audubon Center turned out to be a gem! Beautiful views, trails, hummingbirds, artists at work, and more. I walked around, birdwatching and taking photos, while Mark ran on one of the trails.

Our Albuquerque friends texted us when they were on their way back home, but we almost didn’t want to leave the Audubon Center—it was so beautiful. Reluctantly, we did. And we arrived in Albuquerque just in time for green chile stew for dinner!

There’s so much more to say, but it’s taken so long to get this post done due to poor cell phone and wi-fi reception that I’ll stop here and fill you in on our Albuquerque adventures in my next post. Meanwhile, we continue to meet all sorts of people and see some amazing natural and human-made wonders.

Peace. 🙂

Autumn Road Trip: Part I

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It seemed odd to be driving away from New England at the end of September when the trees were hinting of changes to come. But that’s what we did. We’re heading to Albuquerque and planning to arrive in time for the annual Balloon Fiesta.

We aimed to leave home early on that first day and drive five hours or more toward Rochester, New York. But, of course, we needed to gas up. And stop for ice. And, oh, yeah, stop at the Weather Tech dealer for a cup phone holder or two. We actually found Topgo ones we like better. Anyway, it was closer to noon when we finally hit the open road.

Our first night away from home, we stayed at Twin Brook Camillus Farm in Camillus, New York. Owned by a lovely retired couple, Craig and Elaine, the farm is home to sheep, chickens, turkeys, dogs, and a pair of Talouse geese.

It was a quiet, cool night, and we barely heard the rooster crowing through the closed windows the next morning.

We bought farm fresh (still warm) eggs and frozen chicken from their self-serve barn-stand and, on our first official morning on the road, we, of course, stopped at Walmart for a few things. Then, on to Erie Canal Park in Camillus, where we took our morning walk/run.

We arrived at Niagara Falls State Park on Goat Island about mid-afternoon. Thirty-nine years ago, we stopped at the Falls on the Canadian side as we drove home from our honeymoon. This time, we got the American view and waved to Canada across the way.

After Niagara, we drove another hour and a half to Westfield, New York, where we stayed at a KOA campground overnight. The end of our first full day on the road.

In the morning, we popped over to Luensman Overview Park in Portland, New York, for a walk/run, then back to the KOA for showers. Passed an interesting sign, enjoyed some fall leaves along the way, and were disappointed at the ‘overview’ where a haze veiled the supposed view of Lake Erie and Canada, beyond.

We then set our sights on Hoof Hearted (yep, say that fast, out loud) Brewery and Kitchen in Columbus, Ohio. But first, we stopped beside Lake Erie for a few pics. It’s hard to look at such a ‘great’ lake and not think it’s an ocean.

After dinner at Hoof Hearted, where Mark drank one of his favorite beers, Permanent Marker Face Disguises, we drove a short distance to a small, but neat, Alton RV Park in Galloway, Ohio, for the night.

In the morning, we found Mudsock Trail, next to a large, beautiful, and very active dog park, in Columbus, Ohio. Saw a couple of egrets, a huge bees nest, and a great blue heron just hanging out in a tree.

We got back on the road, crossed the Indiana state line, and pulled into my cousin’s driveway in Muncie just after 3 p.m. It was good to see them again, as we’d stopped at their house over a year ago when we first drove our new Sprinter back from Boulder, Colorado. The kids were taller. And they’d just just bought a new house around the corner from their current house, so lots of catching up to do.

We shared some of the apples we’d brought from our trees back home, did some laundry, and waited for my cousin’s husband to get home from work. We used that time to pull out our new electric Weber grill and cook the chicken we’d bought in New York, and also bake some home-grown potatoes in our electric air fryer/oven. Then we went out to dinner in downtown Muncie. We followed dinner with a visit to The Guardian Brewing Company to meet some of their friends who were celebrating one friend’s birthday. The company was enjoyable, the beer, not as much.

In the morning, we said our good-byes, visited the local Walmart, and then stopped at Town Run Trail Park in Indianapolis for a morning hike/run. We didn’t realize initially that this was primarily a bike trail. It was Saturday, so many cyclists were pulling in, strapping on their helmets, and hitting the trail. We found a few visitors who were planning to run the trail and we all decided that it would be okay as long as we gave the bikes the right-of-way. Especially on the narrow sections of the very windy trail. As I hiked, I made sure to keep my ears open for birds in the trees around me and bikes speeding up behind me.

Visible from the Trail Park driveway was this impressive sculpture honoring the classic Studebaker automobile of Indiana.

We left Indianapolis and headed for St. Louis and its famous Gateway Arch. Mark had been up to the top of the arch before and I was hoping to make the ascent this time. The section of St. Louis near the Arch was confusing to navigate. On top of that, we passed crowds heading to a Cardinals game at every intersection. As we finally pulled up along the street beside the National Park, we realized that the parking area was closed and that a brick area, slanting away from the road toward the Mississippi River, was being used instead. We drove to an unoccupied section, away from the tight rows of cars, to make our own parking spot.

The Arch was visible from the highway as we approached the city and was huge up close! But, unfortunately, tickets for the ascent were sold out and we had to be content with the indoor museum and outdoor picture-taking in the ninety-degree heat.

At the end of the day, we drove to Point Labaddie Brewery in Labadie, Missouri, to spend the night in their parking lot, courtesy of the Harvest Hosts network. The owner was welcoming and the beer was good. We met a fellow traveler named Christian who was also staying the night in his rig on his way to Albuquerque.

All real living is meeting, said Martin Buber in I and Thou. I love this quote. When I heard it recently, I immediately attached it as an epigraph to a poem I was writing, as if to say: This. This is what I mean! And I’ve found myself meditating on it a lot during this trip. We’ve met people from New England and they’ve felt like home. We’ve met people from the towns we pass through and they’ve sometimes felt a bit foreign. And we learned of the death of a dear friend back home a few days ago. In this life, we meet so many different people (and animals, birds, insects, flowers, trees, mountains, prairies, rivers, and lakes). Each one expands our universe a little. I’ve come to understand on this trip, that we also meet ourselves along the way.

There’s a lot more I could say about that, but I won’t right now. I’ll leave you to meditate on it yourself. 🙂

Stay tuned for Part II of our adventures, yet to come…

Did I Mention Newport?

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Two months ago, I posted about the first half of a Rhode Island van trip. We were headed to Newport for a wedding. The first attempt to blog about the second half of that trip got swallowed up by spotty wi-fi. We’ve taken a couple more short excursions since then, so let’s see if I can wrap up this trip in one tidy blog post. First, the wedding…

A scenic venue and great weather made for a perfect wedding day.

The ceremony took place outdoors at OceanCliff Hotel in Newport. We moved indoors for the reception.

Have you ever seen such tall centerpieces? No obstructed views across the table. Ingenious!

The setting sun provided a perfect backdrop at the end of the day.

I know Newport is supposed to be a tourist destination, but we weren’t feeling the whole crowds-and-traffic vibe, so we headed north the next morning. As usual, we scouted out a place for a morning hike/run. We found the King Benson Preserve near Saunderstown, RI.

After our morning exercise, we headed toward Providence. First stop, Tilted Barn Brewery in Exeter, RI, for lunch.

Then on to Roger Williams Park Zoo for the sunny and intermittently rainy afternoon.

After the zoo, the skies opened up and we had to navigate a torrential downpour to run from the van into The District in downtown Providence for supper. The food was very good, but the place was super air-conditioned, so I ate French onion soup with my raincoat on for warmth.

Our plan for the evening was to attend a Town Meeting show at Askew Bar and Lounge, just a few blocks away. No, not a town meeting. The three sons of our good friends, Beth and Dan, started a band several years ago. They called themselves Town Meeting, and we’re fans. They weren’t hitting the stage until late, so we actually napped in the van after supper, waiting for Askew to open. Good thing we got that nap in, since Town Meeting didn’t actually go on until about eleven p.m., after a couple of interesting opening acts. We played some cribbage and then some pool with one of the Town Meeting brothers while we waited.

We left Askew as the band was playing an encore. We thought the song before that one was a better closer, so we didn’t need to stay ’til the end. And it was past midnight. Way past our bedtime! At one a.m. we pulled into the driveway of other Providence friends, where we parked the van and hopped right into bed!

We spent the following day with our Providence friends, Mark and Kathy, and their children and grandchildren. All in all, an enjoyable day. And one more van trip in the books.

The Last Leg

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In A Few Birds, Brews, and Friendly Visits, we traveled from Iowa, through Illinois, to Indiana. From Indiana, we entered Ohio.

Columbus, OH, was our target destination — the home of Hoof Hearted (say that out loud a few times) Brewery & Kitchen. Mark had been there before. This time, he sampled Permanent Marker Pen Disguises and Steel Toed Aqua Socks. Yes, those are actual beer names. And he bought a four pack of the Steel Toed Aqua Socks for his sister.

That night, we stayed at the Logan/ Hocking Hills KOA in Logan, OH. The owners were super nice and even upgraded our site to one with a patio. 🙂 Beautiful view of the hills. And we had a surprise visitor: a cedar waxwing in the tree above our patio.

Jamie and Andy recommended that we visit Hocking Hills State Park. A few of our fellow KOA campers also mentioned Old Man’s Cave to us, so we checked it out (in the rain).

We couldn’t find an available campground or Harvest Hosts site that night, so we stayed in a cheap (somewhat sketchy) hotel in Altoona, PA. The next day we were off to Equilibrium Brewery and Tap Room in Middletown, NY.

Our Harvest Hosts site, The Castle Fun Center in Chester, NY, that evening proved to be less fun by night with the constant highway traffic, poor wi-fi, and gently sloping parking lot. However, I did find a family of geese for entertainment.

The next morning felt less like a cross-country road trip and more like just driving home. We headed up the Taconic Highway in NY, then hooked up with Interstate 90 East. Before we knew it, we were back in Massachusetts!

Back in MA, we pulled off the Pike and travelled north to Holyoke for a hike at Mount Tom State Park. Not too many birds to see, but a beautiful butterfly greeted us. And the view wasn’t bad either. We could actually hear cows mooing down below as we took in the view.

We took a detour to Tree House Brewing Company in Deerfield that night where Mark enjoyed some of his favorite brews, while I enjoyed the decor.

We treated ourselves to a nice hotel room in Northampton, MA, and in the morning, dropped by our youngest daughter’s place around the corner to say hi!

Back on the Mass Pike (90 East), we stopped at Tree House Brewing Company’s Charlton location to pick up a beer order for Mark’s siblings who own Knotty Pine Design & Consignment in Hudson, MA. We delivered the beer to Hudson and headed for home.

In case anyone thinks this road trip sounded ideal, please know that I neglected to mention the struggle to regulate the temperature in the van overnight, the frequent Walmart visits for all the things we realized we needed along the way, the oatmeal that boiled over on the induction cooktop right down the front of the fridge to the floor, the prescription driving glasses resting comfortably at the bottom of a marsh somewhere, and the overhead van cabinet that’s coming loose from the wall, among other things. Just thought it appropriate to interject a dose of reality.

All in all, we had quite the adventure. And can’t wait to do it again!

P.S. The line from one of my favorite John Denver songs played in my head. (Ok, I sang it out loud.) Hey, it’s good to be back home again…