Fun with Friends

Our friends from Nashville, Micki and Michelle, are spending a long weekend at the Hilton on Longboat Key, Florida to celebrate Michelle’s birthday, and we decided to join them for a couple of days. Hanging with them always means good food, fine wine, and lots of laughs.

On Saturday, we went into Sarasota and toured Ca’ d’Zan, a Venetian mansion which was the winter home of the American circus owner, developer and art collector John Ringling and his wife Mable. It was quite amazing.

Also on the grounds, is the Ringling Circus Museum. I’m not really a fan of the circus, but I did find the artifacts and history of the circus in America to be fascinating.  We didn’t have time to visit the art museum, in which the most celebrated items are 16th-20th-century European paintings, including a world-renowned collection of Peter Paul Rubens paintings. We will have to return next year.

Last night the four of us drove a short distance to Siesta Key to visit Micki’s cousin and his wife. We had a fabulous dinner with them at Miguel's Restaurant . The waiter made the Caesar salad tableside, and it was to die for! To celebrate Michele’s birthday, we shared a giant…and I mean giant…snifter of Licor 43. What fun!

As our friends are getting ready to go back to Nashville, we are lucky enough to continue our Florida trip in Indian Rocks Beach, where we will spend time in a beachfront home we’ve rented. Let the merriment continue!

Cape Canaveral/Orlando

A few nights ago we camped onthe water at Jetty Park, which is in Cape Canaveral. I loved watching the fishing boats and cruise ships pass by. The next day we decided to visit the Kennedy Space Center, since neither of us had been there before.

Included in the price of admission was a bus tour of the area, which was enhanced by the very knowledgeable bus driver. The bus paralleled the path an immense ATV used to transport the various spacecrafts such as the Apollo rockets and the space shuttles to the launch pad. The vehicle would straddle the median and, when loaded, would travel one mile an hour.

 

After the bus tour, there were quite a few buildings to explore. We were awed by the many artifacts of the space program and enjoyed the various films and displays. My dad worked for Martin Marietta (now Lockeed Martin), one of the general contractors for NASA. He worked on designing various spacecraft, in particular the Mercury Project. In fact, we lived in Orlando from 1957 to 1961, in a section called Pine Hills. My sisters Beth and Lisa were born in Orlando, and I attended first and second grades there. This was before Disney World was built.

Since I’m actively working on my family history, I wanted a picture of my childhood home. I knew it would look smaller than I remembered, but I was not prepared to see that it is now in a rundown, “sketchy” neighborhood. I found this history of the area online:

"The area that would become Pine Hills began in 1953 with the first subdivisions constructed along the newly completed Pine Hills Road north of Colonial Drive. It was one of the first suburbs of Orlando and grew as a bedroom community for the workers of Martin Marietta . At the time, it was an upper-middle class suburb with a country club named "Silver Pines".

Into the late 1980s and during the 1990s, Pine Hills fell into a state of decline. Silver Pines Country Club was closed, and apartment complexes were built on the property in the mid 1990s. The "Pine Hills Shopping Center" lost its long-time tenants and was eventually converted in the late 1990s into a strip mall with discount stores. Much of the housing became low rent and government subsidized. As of 2013, Pine Hills is perceived to be a high-crime area despite community-wide initiatives to solve the problem.”

This is how my childhood home looks now. Oh, well, at least I have some photos of it when it was a lovely place to live.

Go Seminoles!

Today we left St. Augustine, Florida, after spending three days with our friends, Bob and Shirley Carpenter. Bob and Bill have been friends since high school and after retiring, Bob moved to Florida.

Friday night we had dinner at an authentic Spanish restaurant, The Columbia Restaurant ,  but Shirley is an excellent cook, so we enjoyed her meals the other nights. It was fun catching up with each other, and I even got Shirley interested in quilting as she took me to a couple of local quilt shops.

After leaving St. Augustine, we headed south, driving along Highway A1A, which hugs the coast. Our first stop was lunch at Captain’s Barbecue where we had delicious brisket and ribs. I highly recommend this restaurant, but don’t get there too late, as they only make so much each day, and when they run out, that’s it!

I had read in USA Today that Florida state parks are temporarily slashing admission fees to celebrate two college sports triumphs. For January only, fans wearing FSU and UCF hats or shirts will get into state parks for half price. My mistake was telling Bill. He was determined to get this deal throughout our trip, but, of course, he would never spend the money to buy a t-shirt with a logo! Sooooo, he bought a bumper sticker for the Florida State University Seminoles ($1.06). OK, I am going to try to tell this story, but I am having a hard time because I keep laughing.

We wanted to tour Washington Oaks Gardens State Park , and Bill wanted to get the half price deal. So he taped the bumper sticker onto his ubiquitous white t-shirt. ( I will try to get a picture the next time…I’m sure there’ll be a next time…) And, yes, the lady gave us the deal…$2.50 instead of $5.00. Well, at least the bumper sticker has been paid for!

The park was lovely, and if you’re ever in the Palm Coast area, be sure to visit. It was the winter home of  Owen D. Young, who was the Chairman of the Board of General Electric in the 30’s and founder and Chairman of RCA. His wife, who was a self-made millionaire at the age of 19, designed beautiful gardens on their Florida estate. It’s like a mini Longwood Gardens. We walked the hiking trails, where we spotted a Great Horned Owl and a pileated woodpecker. Try to see the owl in this picture:

 

Then we walked on the Atlantic Ocean end of the park, where there are rock formations made by shells, which are called coquina rocks.

We ended up at a deluxe camping spot at Ormond Beach, where we will sleep by the relaxing sounds of the waves and the smell of the Atlantic ocean air. We have the comforts of home, including TV and wireless Internet. There are ocean views from every window of our Winnebago; here’s the view from the front.

 

 And there’s a quilt shop two miles away…that will be our hike tomorrow:)

Road Trip!

Bill and I have finally departed Street, Maryland, and will enter the Sunshine State later today. Woohoo! Although the polar vortex affected most of the East Coast, we enjoyed temps in the 60's yesterday as we strolled through Savannah, Georgia.

One of the nicest parts about traveling the way we do...with no reservations or etched-in-stone destinations...is that we base our journey on what we feel like doing or seeing each day. We had never been to Savannah, and since it's not far off of I-95, we decided to spend some time there.

Using a great app, Hotel Tonight, we scored a nice room in the Hilton Garden in the historic district of Savannah. It's the second time we've used the app; I highly recommend it! The rooms (only in major cities) become available after 9 AM each day. After checking with the front desk and finding out they could not match the app's price, I just booked a room right there from my phone!

Walking around Savannah was a real treat because of its historic architecture and 22 park-like squares lined by huge trees laden with Spanish moss. The streets are mostly cobblestone, and though I was wearing "sensible" shoes, in true Barbara fashion, I took a tumble. Nothing broken, but I have a swollen knee and bruised ego to show for it.

If ever in Savannah be sure to go to the Crystal Beer Parlor, where we enjoyed some brews and pork barbecue nachos http://crystalbeerparlor.com/, and buy some pralines at River Street Sweets http://www.riverstreetsweets.com/.

I didn't take many pictures, but here's a photo that shows evidence of the previous day's deep freeze in the Forsyth Park fountain.

Right now we are just north of the Florida-Georgia border, camping at Crooked River State Park, where it rained all night and is continuing to rain now. The temperature, though, is 67 degrees at 10:30 AM! I'll take it!

Stay warm, friends!

Reflection

I have been traveling away from home for two days shy of 10 weeks. During those 68 days, I have not ironed any clothes, pulled any weeds, or vacuumed any floors. I have not driven a car (nor a motorhome, for that matter) or awoken to an alarm clock. I have not weighed myself nor looked in a full length mirror. I have not missed doing any of these things AT All!

During the past 68 days, I have not sewn on my sewing machine nor done any quilting. I have not arranged a vase of fresh flowers nor tasted a Maryland tomato. I have not visited a hair salon nor indulged in a pedicure. I have not watched a television program (except for seeing a short portion of the Olympics without sound in a bar and watching the Raven’s game last night in the hotel). I have to admit, there were times I missed these things A BIT.

For the past 68 days, I have not visited with family or my Maryland friends (except for the wonderful time with Jack and Judy). I have not hugged my children. I have missed these things A LOT.

But enough about what I didn’t do…let’s recap what did I do during those 68 days…

I’ve traveled in our motorhome over 7,000 miles through seven states and two Canadian provinces. I’ve visited six American national parks, six Canadian national parks, and many national forests and state parks.

I’ve hiked over 150 miles up and down mountains, through rainforests and subalpine forests, around lakes, and along the Pacific Ocean. I’ve walked on salt flats and in the cities of Portland, Oregon and Salt Lake City, Utah.

I’ve seen many kinds of wildlife including bears, elk, bison, antelope, and Rocky Mountain sheep. I’ve delighted in the beauty of snow-capped mountains, fields of wildflowers, erupting geysers, simmering mud pots, and smooth, colorful river stones.

I’ve been in awe of massive glaciers and towering waterfalls. I’ve seen amazing sunsets and slept to the sounds of the ocean surf, train whistles, and complete silence.

I’ve savored regional cuisine and met people from around the world. I’ve shopped at 14 quilt shops and bought a 10 pound salmon right off the boat.

Wow!

Of course, all of this would not have been possible without Bill, my tour guide extraordinaire. Except for three hikes he took on his own, we have been together 24-7 for 65 days straight! And yes, we are still speaking to one another. In fact, we are more in love than ever. As Mark Twain said, “I have found out that there ain’t no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.”

A good time was had by all.

Bill and I both realize how lucky we are to have the time and resources to experience this kind and extent of travel. We have many wonderful memories of our trip that will continue to give us pleasure for years to come.

“Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over and over again in the quietest chambers. The mind can never break off from the journey.” – Pat Conroy

 

Back to the Beginning

Well, I’m back where this adventure began, Salt Lake City, Utah. I fly home tomorrow morning, and we decided it would be best to get a hotel room near the airport for tonight. By the way, I got a great deal on a room at the Hilton by using the app Room 77. The app indicated a room would be $80, but when we arrived here to get a room, they quoted us $120. The front desk clerk said he couldn't do any better. So I sat down in the lobby, booked a room in this very hotel using Room 77, and within seconds I had a confirmation number. I took the number to the front desk, and voila! we had a very nice room for $80! Gotta love a smartphone!

After we checked in, we drove to Temple Square to walk around, but most everything was closed…I guess it’s a Mormon thing. The Cheesecake Factory was open, though, so we had a great lunch.

Yesterday Bill and I hiked a trail on Antelope Island that kicked my butt! Even though I’ve done more rigourous hikes, I guess it was the heat of the day (we were in a desert, after all) and fact that I hadn’t had much to eat beforehand, that made it such a challenge. The hundreds of flies that followed us didn't help matters. Bill took a swim in the Great Salt Lake while I was recovering from the hike. He said floating on the lake (which is very easy due to the salinity of the water) was like lying on an air mattress.

Tomorrow Bill will drive to eastern Utah where he will again meet our friends Wayne and Shirley. They will spend a week together exploring Utah and Colorado, before Bill makes the trip home. I will miss my honey! Stay tuned tomorrow for my reflections of this amazing journey...

Salt!

Phew! We finally finished travelling through northern Nevada! The routes we took, Rt. 140 and I-80, meant hours of driving through arid, colorless land. The towns along the way were not much; in fact one, Battle Mountain, has the dubious distinction of being named the “Armpit of America” by the Washington Post. Thankfully, the cell towers were abundant, and I could entertain myself with my phone.

Thursday night we camped at a KOA in West Wendover, Nevada, which, because of its casinos, is prosperous. There’s not much besides the casinos, though, and we walked to one to have dinner. I did resist the urge to gamble, mainly because the slot machines were nothing like I remember. You couldn’t just drop a quarter in and pull the lever...there were tokens to buy and tickets to cash in. At least our dinner was good. We walked around town for awhile, as it was lit up by many neon signs.

The next day we entered Utah and were amazed by the Bonneville Salt Flats. The flats stretch over 30,000 acres, and we stopped to admire them at the site of the Bonneville Speedway. For miles and miles, all you see is white crusty salt that resembles snowpack. Bill and I walked on the flats for awhile and saw a family in their Dodge Caravan have fun speeding around on them (Bill said we would be doing the same if we were in the Audi). As many of you know, I love salt, so I couldn’t resist tasting! Our drive continued through the salt flats for many miles, and we even passed a Morton’s Salt Factory!

We are spending the weekend on Antelope Island, which is in the Great Salt Lake. There’s a state park here with trails to hike and wildlife to see. We’ve already seen bison, antelope and coyotes. As I type this I am looking out onto the lake from our campsite. The land is still desert-like here, so it’s very different from the mountain lakes we have visited. The Great Salt Lake is five times saltier than the ocean, and yes, I’ve already tasted it too:)

By the way, on our walk out to the lake last night I found a twenty dollar bill! Take that Nevada and your gambling ways!