Our
trip across the States was terrific. We drove over 8500 miles and enjoyed
luxury accommodations in a motor home bought used in Mesa, Arizona. With
a queen sized bed, overhead double bed, dinette, lounge chair, shower,
full 'galley, refrigerator/freezer, air conditioner, microwave, 4KW generator
set, large awning, water heater, furnace, plus more amenities we had our
'home on the road'.
After buying "The Rig" and
getting it equipped (including two mountain bikes), we began our trip across
the lower 48 states.
California
Monterey Stopped to visit friends we had met in Palau ... Gary and Sussie Regina ... the day Gary went into the hospital for an appendectomy.
San Francisco We walked twice across the Golden Gate Bridge, rode the cable cars, ate at Fisherman's Wharf .. the usual touristy things. Had a reunion with more friends we had met in Palau, Uwe and Anne Dobers.
Joshua Tree National Park was a daytrip from Desert Hot Springs where we visited with Mary Francis.
Yosemite National Park
Though
the national parks are booked solid for months in advance, we were lucky
to get campground reservations on a few days notice.
Hiking and biking the area
for four days we were awed by the views of the waterfalls
and the surrounding area.
Sequoia National Park Our luck continued with campground reservations. We were suitably impressed with these living giants. The surrounding area was just as impressive ... enough to spur us to a 20 mile hike one day! The Alta peak and Panther Gap vistas were superb.
Nevada
Las Vegas!!! Sandy's luck at the slot machines paid for the world famous Siegfried and Roy show where we were thrilled by the white tigers and watched an elephant disappear before our eyes about 30 feet away ... and that happened while we were sober! Though the winds were extra strong that evening we managed a tour along the strip.
Arizona
After a peek at Hoover Dam we continued our exploration of the National Parks.
Grand Canyon National Park More luck with reservations allowed us to spend five days biking and hiking this majestic canyon. Did two hikes into the canyon with the disadvantage of hiking downhill for the first half .. not our favorite.
Our first hike into the canyon was on the Bright Angel Trail. The second one was to Dripping Springs. We biked along the south rim and enjoyed a sunset accompanied by a bottle of wine. Trips to Desert View and Yavapai lookouts gave us more breathtaking vistas.
Sedona Red Rock Park One
jeep tour and several days of hiking in this quaint
region of sandstone formations went quickly.
New Mexico
On to Albequerque to visit
another cruising friend .. Rick Berg (Phyllis was away on a family health
situation) ... formerly on the Yacht Sueno. Rick, an experienced
rock climber (plus many other talents) introduced us to rock
climbing near Los Alamos, NM. We did a grade 5.6 climb for our first
one ... are you impressed?
Tennessee-Mississippi-Louisiana
Then it was Graceland to stroll down memory lane with Elvis. Went south through the Delta Blues district of Mississippi to New Orleans to visit a college friend, Dan Olivier, who found Terry on the Internet and invited us to visit. My but New Orleans has changed since 1958 when Terry and Dan graduated from Tulane! No visit to New Orleans would be complete without touring the French Quarter ... and the chance to eat beignets and have a 'hurricane' drink at Pat O'Briens.
Florida
Went along the Gulf Coast via Biloxi, Mississippi to Tallahassee, Florida to visit Terry's oldest niece Pam. Then on to Leesburg, Florida to visit the youngest niece Cheryl.
Everglades National Park At Everglades City the mosquitos tried to carry us off but we stuck it out for a boat ride and an airboat ride. We went from west to east along the Tamiami Trail and saw a lot of wild life (possibly more than in the Amazon region of Peru!) at the Shark Valley area.
Key West Here we saw more wildlife ... the two-legged variety! Did a disappointing SCUBA dive there and a tandem parasail which got exciting when the tow line broke as we were landing, putting us in the water with one of the crew. Got an extra flight out of that ... guess they were afraid we would sue them.
Hollywood Visited with Terry's father, Alex, who is 92 and recovering from heart surgery with good results so far. Alex and his wife Barbara live in Hollywood and they grow the best mangoes we've ever tasted, including the ones in the Philippines!!!
Kennedy Space Center Spent a day here and could have stayed longer to see it all. The exhibits were very interesting and educational. Didn't get to see a launch but that's about all we missed.
Georgia
Atlanta Stayed with Terry's ex-wife Darlene and her husband Jim. Visited with Terry's sons and their families ... Michael and Connie and Terry Jr, Stacey, Christie and Cory . Visited the CNN Center ... a worthwhile tour to see behind the scenes. Did a 40 mile bike ride on the Silver Comet trail and hiked up and around Stone Mountain ... needed the exercise after all that good Southern cooking.
Talullah Gorge More hiking and a country trail bike ride.
Tennessee-North Carolina
Spent time in the Smoky Mountain National Park, Cherokee National Park and Natanhala National Forest ... all located together between Tennessee and North Carolina. Did some good hikes and had two days of serious mountain biking along forest trails that are world class. Gatlinburg, Tennessee is very touristy these days but still holds some charm.
Virginia
Shenandoah National Park Tried to drive up the Blue Ridge Parkway but it was socked in with fog. Went up the valley to the park and did more hiking, including part of the Appalachian Trail. We did get to drive the Skyline Drive and spotted some nice deer along the way.
Fort Belvoir Stayed at a nearby park and did our medical checks at the Fort Belvoir hospital, where they were extremely helpful. While here Terry met his grand daughter Michelle for the first time ... and she was off to college the following week.
Mount Vernon Trail We biked this mostly shaded and scenic trail on the hottest day of the year! It goes 17 miles from Mt Vernon into Washington, D.C. but we chickened out and only did 15 miles before turning around. The last ten miles, after an enormous seafood lunch in Alexandria, was the hardest part.
Fredericksburg Visited with friends Terry met at the US Army War College, USMC BG(Ret) Al and Suzie Brewster.
Newport News Visited friends Rich and Reg Asaro whom we had met in Guam where Rich was the commander of the USCG unit. Visited the Mariners Museum in Norfolk (where the Monitor is being reclaimed). Rich was our guide through the museum where he volunteers as a docent.
Annapolis The weekend after turning over "The Rig" to the new owners, we toured this historic town and spent an afternoon with friends Al and Joyce Dayton, Bob and Nancy Steele and Johnny Grimes.
Annandale Spent our final
night in the USA with Jim and Margaret Brooke,
a few houses down the street where Terry and family used to live. Departed
from Dulles International Airport for Frankfurt, Germany.
