Merrin, Zoe & Liam - Mile 3985, and Going Strong

This morning as I was planning my next move, turned on the news ..... accidents everywhere .... near-by Newark, NYC, the Turnpike. So, Liam plotted a route around it all and off we went on the NJ Garden Parkway, a huge improvement over the turnpike. We completely by passed the City and took the very amazing Tappanzee Bridge over the Hudson River north of the city, then cut through Rye to the Greenwich area, all very beautiful, picturesque, and for the most part traffic free.
Liam was very patient with me today, as I decided to take to road less travelled in CT, and got off the highway and to the Old Boston Post Road that meandered along Long Island Sound through quaint little towns and villages. Everytime I would decide to turn off, he would quietly recalculate and give me new directions. What a guy :)
Had my first Tim Horton's sighting, and stopped at Lenny & Joe's Fish Tale in Madison for a delicious lobster role. Arrived in Wethersfield and spent the rest of the day visiting my grandson and his parents. Tomorrow will be a slow day in the morning while Zack is at School and Francois works, then more hanging out. Closing in on the Canadian border and getting excited to see friends and family north of the border

Wed - Last Day at the Mount

Mount St. Marys in Watchung, NJ

This is my last day at the Mount. As always, it has been both a privilege and a pleasure to be here.

I first met the Sisters of Mercy a little over three years ago when I got stranded in the Newark Airport during a blizzard. I was about to get into a line - a three hour wait, I had been told, to get my flight re-booked when a young man told me that if I followed him, he know where there was a bank of phone and no one was using them. I could rebook there.

As I was walking away, another woman ( Sister Brenda) joined the line, so I told her to follow us. As it turned out, she was going to a local convent to wait out the storm and asked me if I wanted to come along. My other alternative was sleep on the floor in the airport, so off I went. After waiting two and a half hours in the raging blizzard for a cab, we finally got to share one with a man going to nearby Plainfield. finally we turned up a long drive and there I was at Mount St Marys.

The nuns welcomed me with open arms and warm soup. they invited me to stay the three days until my flight left and extended the most loving and gracious hospitality, which, by the way, is their code. During my stay, Sister Brenda had to dash off for a family thing, I was befriended by Srs. Monica, Marlene and Diane.

Sr. Monica took me to a local shop to get the basics, my luggage being held hostage at the airport. These women are amazing, kind, generous and all have had very interesting career within education and parish life.

These last few days have been like a retreat as I have explored the nearby area and walked the grounds.. which are dotted by little prayer gardens. Tomorrow, I pack up again and hit the road to Connecticut to see my son and his family.

Taking a Break

Srs. Marlene & Monica and me
Sr. Marlene & Monica, My Nuns

Thanks to the wonderful women at Mount St. Marys, I am taking a break and doing almost nothing. My days have been really lazy, and I'm giving my body a rest from the road... I plan to stay here until Thursday , then it is on to Connecticut to visit my son, his wife and their son.

Arriving at the Mount

Today, I got to drive, in the misty rain, through Virginia, Maryland, DC, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. If it had not been for Liam, I would still be trying to figure out how to get through the nation’s capital. Liam has certainly solidified his worth on this trip by helping me navigate the maze of freeways, underpasses, overpasses and HOV lanes.
I was very grateful that I went through DC on a Sunday, because, even then, the traffic was heavy. I can only imagine how long and arduous it would have been on a week day.
My route took me right past the monuments and I could see the dome in the mist.

I chose to take the toll roads, because it took an hour and a half off of the travel time to New Jersey from Richmond. Toll roads took me through a tunnel under the river at Baltimore, over gigantic bridges and onto the New Jersey Parkway where I encountered the worse traffic since I left the Bay Area, going 5 – 20 miles an hour for over an hour and paying for the privilege.

It was all worth it, when I finally arrived safely at the Mount in Watchung the welcome mat was out, tea was waiting and “my nuns” were as hospitable as ever. After unpacking, Sr. Marlene and I went out or a nice quiet dinner and got to reconnect. It will be early to be and late to rise tomorrow then off shopping and lunching with a few wonderful women.

Zoe, is holding up very well, but has a small booboo. Now that I am safely on the other side of the continent, I can reveal that on my very first day, just after I got on Highway 5 a truck threw a stone into my window and cracked it. That night I found a PepBoys and got a resin epoxy, or something, and sealed the crack so that it would not grow any more. It worked and I was very proud of my self for fixing it. Just did not want the Stepher to worry. I have been faithfully checking the engine, the oil and water levels and Lil Car is great.

Fond farewell to Hilton Head & The Newtons

Shirley and I got to walk beaches with the dogs, and each day was such a wonderful treat. Miles of beautiful hard sand, I will miss her.

Dinner on the back patio in front of the newly installed fireplace, very cosy

Aerial view of Hilton Head, looks like a big sneaker!

The "A" is the area where the Newtons live.

"Ali Gattor" back to visit on my last day in Hilton Head.

He took a little sun bath for about 30 minutes

on the front lawn by the pool.

My last day in Hilton Head...

We went to the beach early in the day and walked and walked.......then last minute errands and time to pack up. At lunch, as we were eating an eagle swooped into the lagoon and caught a fish, then soared overhead showing off his catch. In the afternoon, "Ali Gattor" came back right up onto the Newtons lawn for a tanning session. We watched from the upstairs window and Joe got a couple of really good pics.

The whole week has been just wonderful and then at the last minute, my phone died....dead. So, mad dash to the Verizon store and lo and behold they gave me a new phone, no hassle. Jamie, the young man who took care of me was so helpful, however, sadly, I lost all my contact numbers. I am hoping that all my friends who have my cell number will send me a text so I can recapture the information

Saturday - 4/24 Today, I very sadly said my goodbyes to the Newtons and headed up highway 95 to Richmond VA where I am stopping for the night before getting to Watchung, NJ where I will be visiting for a couple of days with those wonderful nuns that took me in three years ago during a big blizzard an rescued me from having to sleep on the floor at the Newark airport.

As I was driving up here today, I realized that on this trip I have become a destination driver, focused on getting to my next stop where I will be seeing people I am looking forward to seeing. Usually when I take a vacation and spend time in one place, I'm more into site-seeing and side trips. While in Hilton Head I did that -Savannah & Beaufort, and local sites on HH. However, coming across the country I drove by signs that announced places that were places would have gone to if I was tourist-ing - like Boot Hill, Window Rock, Shiloh, Civil War Sites and the Shanandoah Valley. I'm making a list of places I will want to come back to with a friend and see in detail.

Photo Op for the Local Wildlife in Hilton Head

Newton's pool, patio and lagoon

Alligator in the lagoon

Gecko in the patio

Courtesy of Joe Newton, I now have some pictures to share of the Newtons' back yard, a visiting alligator that cruised by and checked out the perimeter of the lagoon, and a little visitor from the lizard kingdom that joined us for lunch the other day. As you can see the wildlife comes almost to the back door!

Several night we have gone out and sat in the hot tub before retiring, however, we have to keep a close eye on the dogs that they do not wander down to the edge of the lagoon.

Thank you Joe, for capturing all of that :)

Exploring Beaufort, NC

On the Deck at "Up The Creek"


After a quiet day of beach walking with the dogs, then hanging out at a local joint - Up The Creek - for Happy hour and Bar-B-Q, yesterday we went into Beaufort (pronounced Bew-Fert, rhymes with few) so as not to be confused with Beaufort, NC, pronounced the usual way.

Beaufort is a quaint little town on the inland waterway, about an hour from HH, that is very easy to walk around and well known for being the site of several films including Forrest Gump, Big Chill, The Great Santini, Something to Talk About. We had a really nice lunch on the inland waterway (Shrimp Po'Boys - my first) then walked around the downtown shopping area. They had an old 5 & Dime (Wollworths) store that had been renovated to accomodate a series of small boutiques.

Everyone is very friendly and we stopped in at a shop that was also the center for walking tours, and the woman just gave us her tour map so we could set out on our own. We saw so many lovely big old houses, built in the 1700 and 1800's, with big verandas and front balconies, as well as some original slave quarters. I recognized the Big Chill house, which is privately owned so you cannot get too close, as well as the house that was used for the movie Forces of Nature with B. Affleck and S. Bullock.

Today is my last day in Hilton Head, as I set out tomorrow for New Jersey. Joe helped me check the oil this morning, so I am good-to-go. I took long walk with Shirley and the dogs this morning, almost two hours, and now am getting ready to sort through my things and load up the car

Although I will be sad to leave, the Newtons have been so welcoming and fun to hang out with, great company, rich conversation, tasty food and wine, I am looking forward to the next part of the roadtrip, which will reunite me with the nuns who rescued me three years ago when I was almost stranded in the Newark Airport for three days.... That's a whole other story. Later.....

Exploring Savannah

Shirley and I spent yesterday walking around the "Squares" district of Savannah looking at all the big historic houses. The one house we wanted to see was the Mercer house that was features in "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil".
When we got there we drove around a little, then decided to park and walk.

We found a pretty little square to park beside and immediately took off towards the big park that was used in the dog walking scene in the movie. We went around the entire park, looking at houses, then wandered from square to square until we found a cute little tea shop to have lunch.

After lunch we continued our quest to find Jim Mercer's house. Someone, who appeared to have great authority on the subject, told us to go to Lafayette Square for the Mercer House. So off we went. Within fifteen minutes we realized that we needed to get back to the car, the meter was running out. We could not remember where we parked and were all turned around. So we zeroed in on the big park and back tracked to the car from there. it turned out we had parked on Monterey Square ... you think I would remember that!At this point we were foot weary, so we decided to keep looking for the house by car.

After much circling of each little square in the area we had been told to look, a local pointed us to a set of squares two blocks over, and guess what - Monterey Square is where we found what we were looking for .... if we had turned around and looked over our shoulders when we got out of the car in the first place, we would have seen the house right away. All the walking and we had unwittingly arrive exactly where we wanted to be.

Back to Hilton Head and a little retail therapy, then home for dinner and the hot tub. Shirley is letting me cook and I'm having lots of fun.

Alligators, Alligators

Joe and Shirley Newton

Yesterday, Shirley and I had lunch at Sea Pines where the Heritage Tournament had just been played. We sat outside at the eighteenth hole, and could still see the scoreboard and some of the grandstands and tents. On the way into Sea Pines plantation we had passed an alligator sunning on the bank of a pond. Did not have a chance to get a picture and he was gone when we went by later.

After an afternoon of poking around shops, we came home and had drinks in the back room. As we were sitting there an alligator swam by in the pond behind the Newton's house. I ran and got my camera to take a picture. I had taken a quick one with my cell phone and sent it to the boys, but wanted to get a clearer shot. So outside I went, quietly crossing the lawn with the gator in my sights. Just as I lined up the picture, he vanished. When I looked carefully, he had stopped swimming and turned to face me. Needless to say, I beat a hasty retreat into the house. So no picture. Maybe tomorrow.

A Day Late.....

Shirley and Katie
Joe and Annie

Yesterday was another beautiful day in paradise. Hilton Head really is paradise. I have been taking it easy, sleeping in late and walking beaches. We never found the beach with shells, but we did find a long low beach that was great for the two dogs - Annie, a Golden Retriever and Katie, a Poodle/Bichon mix - to have a good run chasing balls.

In the evening, Shirley produces wonderful meals, and we eat at a leisurely pace. I am, needless to say, recuperating from my cross country dash, so I have been going to bed early and sleeping like a log. Joe very nicely gave Zoe a bath, and she looks all shiny bright and clean again. Off on another adventure today... more later

Arriving at Hilton Head

Yesterday, I left Freindsville and headed down to road through Atlanta to Hilton Head, about a seven hour drive. Just as I left the Watters' house, I saw a deer standing by the road. When he saw me, he took off, only to have all the neighborhood dogs fast on his trail.

As I headed onto the Freeway, there was very little traffic until I hit Atlanta. Atlanta is like Seattle, you have to go right through the heart of the city, and it was the first time since leaving San Jose, that I had to truly contend with TRAFFIC. Until now on this road trip, I have been sharing the road with a few other cars and lots of long distance truckers....but spread out. In Atlanta, even though it was Sunday, it was crowded, and people were darting in-and-out in the midst of several highways coming together, and multiple lane changes. I was glad when it was done.

Eventually though, I made it into South Carolina and onto Hilton Head. Once again, Liam brought me right up to the Newton's front door. I was very happy to be here and be in the company of people who made me feel so welcome. Joe and Shirley Newton, who I knew in San Jose, recently moved to Hilton Head and have a lovely home on a quiet lagoon. After hugs, and the unloading on the car, we headed out to a nearby beach and walk along chatting happily.

Today, we got up and went to a near-by church for a very pleasant service, then home for a quiet lunch. We are about to go to a beach we heard about, one with plenty of shells etc. so more later.

Zoe and Liam's Day Off

Zoe, the car, and Liam, the GPS have spent the day idling in the sun. One day soon, I think they should have a spa day, but today was my day to rest and what a wonderful day I have had. After a late casual breakfast, Doug took Brenda and me out on the lake in their boat, and we went all over looking at the beautiful houses, and then stopped for a picnic lunch.

This has been a lazy day, just hanging out and relaxing. My hosts, the Watters, have made me feel so welcome. It was the perfect break after 2300 miles of driving. Sitting looking out at the beautiful lake is therapeutic and I am very grateful to be here.

Brenda is a wonderful cook and has taken good care of me. Last night we had Bar-B-Q Brisket - with all the fixin's, and tonight Cornish game hens. Things here are so laid back and there is nothing to rush to do. What a refreshing change from the fast pace of Silicon Valley.

First real Stop

Left Jackson, TN early this morning and headed off to Friendsville, near Knoxville, to visit the Watters family. Brenda and Doug (family to my friends the Newtons) have generously invited me to visit for a couple of days. They live in a beautiful home on the Tennessee River surrounded by rolling green hills as you can see from the picture above.

Liam, the GPS, has acquitted himself magnificently by getting me here, because I never would have found it on my own. I have come to rely on Liam, and he has done a great job of keeping me within the speed limit during my dash across the country. He always knows exactly what the local speed limit is and if I go more that 3 miles over, a little red light comes on, and I tone it down.

It only took a couple of hours to get to today's destination, and I can assure you the I am ready for a break from driving. Tomorrow we are going boating.

Day 5

Working in the river

River & Paddle boats

Got on the road about 9am and continued East. Most of East Arkansas is just flat fields and by the time I got to the "Mighty Mississippi', I was bleary-eyed. I took some time to sit on the banks of the Mississippi. It was nice just laying back on the banks of the river, and watching the tugs pushing the barges. After 2200 miles and five days on the road, I was in no mood to walk city streets, so I headed out of town and found a place to stay in Jackson, TN, home of the Casey Jones village and Museum.

I am really amazed at the different styles of housing, and the majestic diversity that I see along Highway 40. In CA and AZ , lots of variety, rolling hills, snowy mountains, and brown flat land, the New Mexico, my favorite so far, incredible rock formations and color. One of the things I saw that I liked was how they built homes to resemble the pueblos and in earth tones that blend into the landscape. North Texas and Arkansas are just flat and best driven through quickly. Tennessee is lovely and green with lots of trees and rivers. I'm off now to explore Jackson and near by parks and lakes.

Days 3 & 4– April 12th/13th

Day 3 - Today was an easy day, and a fun day with side trips. I left Albuquerque at a leisurely pace, having slept in and headed to Santa Fe to pick up the “Old Santa Fe Trail” and ended up at the historical plaza in the center of town. Spent time wandering around then set out for Tucumcari and another section of Route 66. Along the way, I passed, going the other way, a covered wagon being pulled by horses. Apparently one can rent it and travel in old style. No AC. Sadly, the little towns on Rte 66 have been mostly forgotten by time and commerce and have become a bit dilapidated, if not in some cases, abandoned.

Other fun things I saw were:
 tumbling tumbleweeds
 the mileage sign for Roswell, NM
 A meteor crater
 and in one of the dust bowl a baby tornado-in -training – a little dust devil funnel, dancing across landscape with a collision course with the highway about 50 feet in front of me. It just dwindled out once it hit the highway, but it was fun to watch
 I had hoped to see an armadillo near Amarillo, but did not

Stopped early in Amarillo somehow, I found the only motel with no wifi, so on to…

Day 4 – Woke up to dire warnings of storms, winds and potential tornados, so I got out of town, right quick, as they say in Texas. It felt like I was racing the storm, in my rear view mirror, dark threatening clouds, in front of me , clear skies. So on I went, skedaddling across the border into Oklahoma. Just before getting into OK, I went through Donley County.

Over the OK line, instead of counties, they partition the land by First Nation tribes, so I went through the Arapaho Nation, the Kickapoo Nation and the Cherokee Nation. (Next to chipotle, Arapaho is one of my favorite words.) Eastern Texas and Oklahoma are flat, Although Eastern Oklahoma is green and there were more trees and water. Thank heavens for books on tape.

The people here are very friendly. I stopped in Shawnee and got into four separate conversations in the store with four different women… that’s a lot for me. I keep driving by signs for places I have heard of like Muskogee, Fayetteville, and now I know sort of where they are.
I Stopped in Alma, Arkansas for the day and hiked up to the reservoir to see the worlds largest can of spinach, their water tower. Big local business.

As my family knows, I was born with a bit of wanderlust, and like discovering new places, wandering around aimlessly sometimes to see sights, so it is no surprise that I am enjoying the drive but I keep forgetting to take pictures.

Day 2

All I can say is WOW..I left Kingman early this morning, heading East.

Took a side trip on Rte 66, and I now have the greatest admiration for my parents, who every winter, would set off from our small town in Northern Ontario, near the Manitoba border, and would head West to California to visit family travelling part of the way on Rte 66. Today, we are so spoiled with freeways, no slowing down for small towns or getting stuck behind dawdlers.

I loved the area around Flagstaff, the Coconino State Forest, the snowy mountains that you could see for almost a hundred miles in the rear view mirrors, and the the flat forever until I got to the New Mexico border and nature showed up in all its majesty.

Words cannot describe the scenery I saw. The range of color was spectacular..from soft sage, to dusty rose, to deep salmon, not to mention the rock formations, the mesas, the buttes and the amazing escarpments in the distance that look pale pink and white, like they were painted. The whole trip from the AZ/NM border had me spellbound. I wanted to stop every 5 miles and take pictures, however, I knew there was no way to capture what I was seeing in the distance.

When I got to Albuquerque, I checked in then headed of to a restaurant someone had recommended, and what a treat. had my first Agave Wine Margarita, and the tastiest cucumber apple slaw with tilapia. Yummy.

Now long soak and to bed. Tomorrow, onto Santa Fe

Day 1

As planned, I was out the door at 7:58 and on the road two minutes later, headed South on 101, and an hour later, I hit 5 and headed south.

This state is big and varied and it took me eight hours to hit the AZ border. Somewhere, between Bakersfield and Barstow, I found myself on a one lane highway and had to pay attention, so could not change the CD, boredom set in and I decided to name my car and GPS, ..... so now I am travelling with Zoe - the car and Liam-the GPS with an Irish accent.

It started because I took a break, and Liam kept nagging that I make a U-turn and get back on the highway. The thing about Liam is he does not listen, just gives orders, and point out my mistakes. He is however, very helpful in getting me where I need to go.

I did not succumb to the temptation of pushing on, and stopped in Kingman, AZ as planned. It was an nine hour day with appropriate breaks.
It was an easy day, however, it was sobering to see a sign as I turned on to Highway 40 that said, Willmington, NC - 2554 miles.

Time for a long soak in the tub.....

Packing

For those of you who travel a lot, you know that this is something you develop a system for doing. For years, when I would travel, on business, or with friends, the rule was - it all had to fit in the carry on. Well now, I have the car and I can bring what ever I want, so of course I got carried away.

For the last couple of days, my apartment has looked like Hurricane Hannah passed through, clothes strewn everywhere, as I honed in on what to bring, considering all contingencies. So, when I pull up at your place, do not panic, I am not staying forever, but I do have all my bases covered - hot, cold, casual, chic....

The car is partially packed, so in the morning, I have a couple of things to throw in the car, and I am on my way. So I think I will sit back and relax, have a parting martini and some dinner, then early to bed, because I know, it will be early to rise....... who sleeps well the night before a big trip

Stay Tuned, and please either here or on Facebook stay connected.

PS, Steph, I ran spell check :)

Just Days to go....

As the count down continues, planning activity is picking up. For those of you who know about my lack of attention to detail, I am actually making lists.

I just spent 1/2 an hour frantically looking for a travel points card to make a reservation, so my apartment now looks like a tornado flew through, not to mention the talking to myself about better organizational habits. so I
just made reservations for the first two nights on the road, big step of reality.

As my departure day gets closer, I am getting more excited and looking forward to seeing the diverse landscape that going across country will provide. My daughter lent me her digital camera so I will be taking pictures and posting some of the sites I see. I love going new places and have never been to the Albuquerque / Santa Fe area, so stay tuned.