Another fine site to behold ...

This morning I left Winslow and stopped at the Meteor Crater. It was a very rewarding experience. Much like Crater Lake, the size is deceptive. I don't usually take guided tours because they can be so dry but this time I took the chance and was pleasantly surprised. Our guide was Edwardo and he was not only knowledgeable but also very entertaining. We took a short hike around a small part of the rim and the whole thing took about an hour that was very well worth it.

I spent some more time at the viewing platform that was not part of the tour and then headed to Flagstaff. I found a nice KOA and took an early break from the road. Tomorrow morning I am heading for the Sedona area to see what awaits me there.

Now THAT'S what I'm talking about ....

Arizona's Petrified Forest National Park - WOW !!! It took me almost 5 hours to travel the 25 miles from one end of the park to the other. I stopped at almost every view point and there were plenty of them. I got some sun and did some walking. It was all good. I mean, really good. I am looking forward to the Grand Canyon now more than ever.

This is one of my favorite shots. I call it "The People of the Canyon" (Click on the image to enlarge it)

Disappointment ...

http://www.lafondasantafe.com/?s_kwcid=la%20fonda1013481961&gclid=CMyTrualgZYCFQMQswodHjblEA

Disappointment. That's the only word for it. I should have concidered my sources when I took the advice of people saying that Santa Fe was a "must see". Santa Fe reminds me of what happened to Sisters, Oregon only to a much greater extent. It was a beautiful little spot to visit and get away from it all. Now, both places are a big money shoppers haven. Everything caters to the wealthy. I never felt so out of place in all my life. The difference between the "haves" and the "have nots" is over whelming. I'll never go back there again.

One long drive ... and a short putt.

Research. Sometimes it pays off when you do it. Sometimes it pays off when you don't.

I did not do any research on Santa Fe. I only listened to several folks who said that it is a "must see" destination. Had I know in advance that the elevation was over 7,000 feet I might not have attempted it. You see, Old Silverback doesn't like hills and I was honestly just about ready to turn around and go back to Albuquerque, but I pushed on and we made it (it wa like trying to use a putter on a long par 5). I will spend the day in old town Santa Fe, soaking up whatever they have to offer.

The scenery along the way was beautiful and at times you could see for about 20 miles ahead. The air is cool and the sun is warm. It is good to walk around in these conditions.

Alpine to El Paso

I am currently straddling two states; Texas and New Mexico. I'm right between El Paso and Las Cruces. The drive from Ft Stockton to Alpine to here was half boring and half breath-taking.
Miles and miles of nothing but miles and miles.

I now understand my fathers fascination with Alpine. The elevation is about 4500 feet and has beautiful hills all around. With the help of Melleta Bell who is theSr. Archivist at the Sul Ross University library I found the old Circle W

It has gone through many changes since the 1950's. It was a shop that sold cactus jelly, then it was an art studio, then it became a residence. It is for sale but I think it would take an awful lot of work to put it into any kind of shape. It was good to go back.
And I did manage to get in 9 holes before I left town.
El Paso is much larger than I thought it would be. At one point on the freeway I was close enough to Mexico to throw a pop can across the border. I will spend the night here and leave early for Santa Fe. I have no idea what to expect from this visit.

Texas is a big state ....

Austin, Texas; I had a very nice afternoon in Austin walking up and down the streets and around the capitol grounds. I even took a short guided tour inside the capitol building. I found the Texas State History Museum but decided to keep that for another day as it is a very large building.

Afterward I met with my old friend from my days in the Air Force, Jose Antu. We had dinner and caught up on what's been happening in our lives these last 39 years. Angie had prepared a delightful dessert for us and we spent the evening chatting away. I stayed the night in their guest room and hit the road early this morning.

I am now at an RV park just outside of Ft Stockton, TX. I am on my way to Alpine, TX where my dad ran a restaurant when I was about 5 years old and I remember it well. I understand that the building is still standing although it is now a store that sells cactus jelly.

From there I plan to head to Santa Fe, NM.

Fishing and playing tourist ...

I had a wonderful stay with Neal and Linda and even got in some fishing. I didn't catch anything but as Neal said "If you caught something every time it would be called "catching" not "fishing".
I bid farewell this morning heading to San Antonio.

Happy second wedding anniversary to a wonderful couple, and a wonderful couple of friends.

I spent the afternoon enjoying the Alamo and the river front walk. This was my first visit to San Antonio since I was in the Air Force in 1966. Much has changed and mostly for the better I believe. The river walk is now wall to wall restaurants and shops but it is much safer than it was way back then(crime wise).



I am staying the night at an RV park on the south side of Austin and will go into the city tomorrow to play tourist again. I hope to be able to join my old friends Jose and Angie for dinner as I haven't seen them since I left Florida for Oregon.

Fishing and playing tourist ...

I spent Friday night with my nephew Ken and his life partner David. We had a wonderful visit. I finally got the okay on my visit to DeJ and was off and running Saturday morning from Elgin
(Leaving Elgin 7 am)
to just south of Houston. There was not as much damage in that area as I had expected but power was still out in many locations. It took quite a while to get checked in and we had a wonderful 4 hour visit. I left there and headed for Corpus Christi.

I arrived in CC last night at about 9:30 pm and Linda and Neal welcomed me to their home.
They have a beautiful house on the inland water and a wonderful view from their dock. We sat up talking until about midnight.

PS I just hit 10,000 miles on this trip.

This morning we took a nice drive around CC and the surrounding area. We went by the Lexingon and a replica of the Niña and enjoyed a beer at Shorty's which is advertised as the oldest and friendliest place on Fisherman's Warf. Shall I use the word "quaint"? Why not.



http://www.portasouthjetty.com/ROP/large/dining-ShortysPlace.htm

Tonight we are going to a Carlos Santana concert (we stopped at a drug store for earplugs).

On the move again ...

I had a wonderful visit with my sister and her husband but it was strange being so out of touch. I stopped along the way to have dinner with my niece Linda just outside of Waco and now I am going to camp out here for the evening before I head for Austin to have dinner with her brother Ken. The weather here has been perfect; cool days but with lots of sun.

I have been trying for days to schedule a visit with my nephew for this Saturday but the warden's office keeps putting me off saying they aren't ready to schedule visits yet. If I don't get a visit this weekend I will have to wait until next weekend which I can do but it will just keep me from moving forward until then. Of course, that is nothing new. But I accept that as being just part of the process as it has been for the last 7 years. Not complaining, just an observation.

Tulsa to Amarillo ...

Driving down old Rt 66, which is now US 40, I was able to enjoy the scenery as I searched for relatives long gone. It was very cool to be back in the area where I lived as a kid in the early 50's when my mom had a show on KFDA TV in Amarillo and I got to enjoy the early days of live television.

I found my great uncle and aunt's resting place on the east side of Amarillo and now I'm on my way to visit my sister just outside of Seymour, TX. I will be out of touch until late Thursday or Friday as they are waaaaay out in the sticks.

St Louis to Tulsa ...

Driving through St Louis the coulds were low and moving fast. The wind kept changing direction and the best description of the weather was "unsettled".

There was a promise of a break in the weather about 5 pm and I got this shot over the steering wheel.

The sunset last night was rich with the promse of "a sailor's delight".

Today is sunny and mild. No wind and it looks like clear sailing to Amarillo.

Rain, rain go away ...

This morning I was greeted by a little wind and rain but they say it should pass by about noon. If that's the worse it gets so much the better. This afternoon I am heading for St Louis and beyond.
2 pm - St Louis - driving west I was fighting a strong headwind and a little rain but I am finally through the worst of it. It should be smooth sailing from here to Texas.

North Louisana .... to Kentucky

I spent last night at a campground owned and operated by Ivy's friends. We had a nice visit and dinner out. The evening was very comfortable and perfect for a good night's rest. I woke to another beautiful morning and after breakfast and coffee I waved goodbye and started my next leg toward St. Louis, MO. The afternoon was sunny and very warm so I stopped early in Benton, Illinois at a KOA campground. I plan to hit the road early tomorrow as I have finally found what I believe to be a solid connection to my great-grandfather Edgar Walls.

I am very close to Carlisle, KY where he and his family lived in 1860. He was about 7 years old at the time and I believe that his father is buried in that area.

The search for my roots continues... Kunta Walls?

A man. A van. A plan. A hurricane.

My plan is still to stay ahead of the storm by leaving Atlanta today and heading northwest to southern Missouri. Then, as Ike turns east, I will head southwest to Amarillo and eventually to visit my sister in Seymour, Texas before heading south for Austin and Houston. Let's see how that plan comes together ....

The Return to Atlanta ... "Where's the fire?"

No fire, just getting out of the way of hurricane Ike. I had a pleasant 3 day stay in Mims at the KOA and yesterday I took a nice long walk on the beach at Datona. There were very few people on the beach and it made for a very pleasant time. It was a bit breezy but that made for some nice wave acton and watching the birds just hang in the air with little or no effort reminded me of my current status.

I arrived back in Atlanta to stay with my cousin John for a couple of days. Tonight we will take Ivy to dinner so I can have another visit with her before I head north. My plan WAS to head for Houston to see my nephew this weekend (I can only visit on weekends) but because of Ike I will have to wait until the 20th or 21st. So I will continue my meandering path up to Kentucky and Tennessee before heading west to Missouri to continue my geneaology research.

(OK - the inside joke - Just imagine Rhett Butler driving the carriage through the streets of Atlanta at breakneck speed and being stopped by a Georgia State Policeman who asks "Ok pal, where's the fire?" ...... I thought it was funny ...)

Sunday Night ... and Mims the word

I am now at a nice KOA campground and after a long day of walking on the beaches and driving in the hot sun I was ready for a break. The pool here is reserved for adults between 9 and 10 pm so I took a late night dip. Fortunately I was the only one in the pool and that made it all the better. Peace and quiet under the palms and a quarter moon floating among a field of stars. Aaahh! Life is good. I plan to stay in the area for about 3 days.

Road note: I have seen the price of gas fluctuate from $4.17 down to $3.39. My last fillup was in Stuart, FL at $3.64.

I have also noted that most people in the US have little or no regard for the posted speed limit. It has not been uncommon for me to be passed by many cars doing between 80 and 90 mph. They don't even slow down in construction zones where it is posted that speeding fines are double.

(There was a very polite sign in West Palm beach that read "Enhanced fine zone").

Dodging the bullet....

I woke to another beautiful morning in south Florida (just west of Hollywood). I found a "nice-enough" RV park for the night and slept well. I could have stayed another day in Key West if they had not thrown all of us "non residents" out. It was surely a case of premature evacuation I.M.H.O.
Today I plan to have lunch with my friends Ray and Michiele Eldon in Ft. Lauderdale. Then I will make my way to Titusville for a couple of days and hopefully meet some more friends as well as my cousin Eddie. From there I will head back to Atlanta for a couple of days rest at my cousin John's while we wait and see what Ike is going to do. I don't want to be driving to Texas through pouring rain and wind. Did I tell you that I miss work? NOT!!!!

Key West

I have been a Jimmy Buffett fan since Living and Dying in 3/4 Time and yesterday I had a JB moment or two. In his song Last Mango in Paris he mentions Captain Tony's. I never gave it much thought but it is real and I just walked right up to it like I knew where I was going. There was lots of JB memorabilia and photos and I must say the folks there were great.
I walked around the downtown area by the Hemingway house and many other historical places. But due to Ike moving in on us I will cut my trip a little short. They say that later today they will announce mandatory evacuation so I will cut out before noon to beat the rush (I hope).
It has been a gas to finally make it here.

Key Largo Friday 10:00 am

WOW!!!!

A nice change of pace ....

I left St James City at about 10 am and it was already sunny and very hot. I drove down Hwy 41 to stay off the freeways and it was a nice change of pace. As I headed down the Tamiami Highway (AKA: Alligator Alley) and as I made my way toward Holmstead the clouds started to thicken and the wind was up a bit. That was another nice change of pace. I am now in Key Largo at a State Park campground waiting to see what the weather will look like tomorrow. If it is at all fair I will make it to Key West and hopefully it will stay nice enough for a couple of days there.
A backward glance: As I passed through Sarasota I went by the house we lived in for a few years. It had not changed very much except that the screened porch is now walled in and the little palm that was in the planter out front is now a triple palm and over the top of the house. I also went by the grade school and Jr High I went to from the 3rd grade and into the 8th grade. It was fun to walk down (drive through) memory lane.

St James City on Pine Island ...

I was looking for an "out of the way place" and I think I have found it. St James City is on the southern tip of Pine Island and is pretty remote. It is sheltered by surrounding keys and islands and so the water is calm. I am in a KOA campground that is almost empty but it has a nice pool, laundry room, and much more. Since Hanna is looking like she is heading more north than west I plan to head straight for Key West tomorrow before Ike decides to make mincemeat out of the keys. If my timing is right I should have about 3 days in the Keys before I have to hightail it out of town.

Trying to reason with hurricane season

I bid farewell to George and Janet and headed south for Dunedin (where I was born) and Clearwater (where my brother was born). It was a very warm, sunny day and after meandering through the old parts of town I made my way to Fort De Soto Park on St. Christopher Key to find a campsite. Almost everyone had gone and the peace and quiet was soothing. My campsite is just 100 feet from the water and there are lots of critters to enjoy; everything from little lizards to big cranes and other birds.


I woke to a most spectacular morning. It had been a warm, muggy night but now there was a cool zephyr bringing me the songs of birds from not too far off. The sun was not quite over the horizon but it was very bright. I made breakfast and then headed to the fort that the park is named after. A nice visit to the museum, a walk on the pier and maybe even a walk along the white sandy beach is in order. Once again I find myself alone on a beautiful tropical beach... hummmmm.