The Northeast Loop

Since our last post, we've covered a whole lotta territory!  We filled in a lot of the great northeast - seeing New England for the first time.  Since we first set sail last year on our endless land cruise, we've now seen 35 of the 50 states in our motorhome.  

These are the 35 states we've visited so far - America the Beautiful!

After leaving Denver on July 5th, (for our annual summer visit) we headed to Nebraska. It seemed like the entire state was COVERED with corn fields!  But it actually made for a really pretty drive. We stayed in the small northeastern town of Pender, NE where we had our Blue Ox tow bar serviced. What a peaceful and pretty little town! Then it was on to Cedar Rapids, IA to see friends Don & BJ (Don being an old colleague of Steve's). We stayed in a cool place called the "Amana Colonies" which is a mostly German community with GREAT restaurants and shops.  And more corn fields! 

Next we headed through Illinois, past Chicago and landed in Sawyer, Michigan for a week or so on the southeastern shore of Lake Michigan.  We stayed at the "Kamp Across from the Dunes" right on the lake. Wow - we really didn't know what to expect and did not have a mental image in mind. It was great!! Nice beach that almost felt like being on the ocean. The dunes allowed us to climb really high up for a great panoramic view. Can't believe I didn't have a camera for that one!  Duh!!!  Our VERY good friends Joe & Carolyn joined us there.  Good times!

Always ready for a good time!

This is Michigan???  Indeed. 

 

Carolyn & Joe enjoying a nice sunset with us at the dunes
on Lake Michigan

Next, we headed to Toledo, Ohio - really venturing now into uncharted territory - for us anyway. We visited our friends Tom & Eileen who are restaurateur's we met while in Destin, Florida. We had a scrumptious dinner at their restaurant that's been in their family for several generations. Mmmmm. Good food!! Thickening waistlines.  :o(

From there, we went to Niagara Falls.  It was fabulous! We've always wanted to see the falls and it most certainly did not disappoint.  On the first day, we explored the American side.  

Really close to the water!

This is taken from the American side of the falls

The American Falls (viewed from Canada)

The next day, we crossed the border to see the Canadian side where you really get spectacular views from across the way.  

The Canadian Falls - picture taken from the top of a tower.
You can see the Maid of the Mist (boat) getting a close up look.

The view of the American falls from the Canadian side

Sweethearts enjoying life!

Underneath the falls - must have rain gear!

After seeing the falls, we enjoyed a beautiful drive through upstate New York.  We stayed a few nights in a gorgeous park near Schenectady (north of Albany).  Next, we drove through Vermont and New Hampshire (or as the locals say... New HAMPsha) and landed in Portland, Maine.  Steve had been hankerin' for some fresh Maine lobster so sure enough - we got our fill.  Steve loved the seafood, but me... not so much.  Never been much of a seafood lover.  The RV park wasn't our favorite either but we enjoyed seeing the sites in downtown Portland.   

Eastern Promenade - downtown Portland, Maine

The view from the deck of DiMillo's
restaurant (fabulous food!) & marina

 

Last week, we headed down to the Catskills in New York.  We stayed near the town of Catskill (apparently the name means something like "bobcat creek") and had a good time walking main street.  Charming little town. Not far from Woodstock, NY.  

The cat that ate the canary

Downtown Catskill, NY

And finally... here we are at Jonestown, Pennsylvania - near Harrisburg.  All in a days' work, herding cats 'n dogs. Life is good!

Near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.  Part of the daily routine having fun with the kids - Harley, Jimi and Willie.

Until next time... may the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. 

May the sun shine warm upon your face; the rains fall soft upon your fields... 

and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Summer Land Cruising

Hi everyone!  The land cruise continues... recently we stayed for several weeks in New Bern, North Carolina.  This is a great little historic town on an inlet off the Atlantic coast, with many fun tourist-y things to see.

Touring the Tryon Palace was like stepping back into the 1700's - furnished with period furniture, clothing, pottery, etc. Surprisingly, it looked very similar to pictures I've seen of the very early 1900's. I guess things didn't change much before the industrial revolution. We're told that George Washington campaigned in New Bern and stayed a few nights in a local mansion.  

Tryon Palace - royal governor's mansion & gardens that was built and
 used before Washington's presidency... "where Governor's ruled and    
George Washington danced."                                                                          

New Bern was the birthplace of Pepsi-Cola.  Here's the very spot of it's humble beginnings - originally named "Brad's Drink".  This is located in downtown New Bern.

The architecture throughout the town was phenomenal and we visited a very cool old Civil War era cemetery.

After New Bern, we visited Greensboro, NC (where I'd attended a conference once) -- still as pretty as I remembered.

Then on to Charlotte.  We loved this beautiful city!  We visited the Billy Graham Library there. What an amazing, humble man of great integrity.  The library tour was fantastic and we'd recommend it to anyone. His life and legacy is captured with many photo's, candid videos and artifacts on display. And the gardens around the library were so peaceful - really beautiful.

Pictured here is the Billy Graham Library on the right (opened in 2007) and his childhood home on the left.  

Next we stayed for a spell in Asheville, NC just down the road from Charlotte in a more mountainous region very near the Great Smoky Mountains.  What a pretty little town surrounded by hills covered with deciduous trees. We'll probably return when the fall colors are at peak.

The photo's below were taken along the Blue Ridge Parkway just outside of Asheville.

Steve & Harley standing at the highest point in North Carolina

Then we headed to Chattanooga and then on to Nashville.  The weather was rainy for the few days we were in Nashville, so we really didn't get to tour the town like we'd hoped.  Maybe next time!

As we started to make our way back home to Denver, we headed through Kentucky & Illinois and on to St Louis, Missouri where we visited a colleague of Steve's. We drove right past the arch and stayed at a lovely KOA campground just outside of town.

We made a wrong turn in the Magic Bus (ughhh!!!)
 right in downtown St Louis by the arch, but quickly
recovered and made it safely to our destination!

Next we drove across Missouri and on to Topeka, Kansas.  I was fortunate to be able to say hello to one of my oldest friends, Allyn who lives in nearby Lawrence.  She's as sweet as always.

Pals since the 1st grade!

After a quick stop in my hometown of Russell, Kansas - we made it "home" to Denver for our annual visit with family & friends and doctor's appt's.

We had fun sailing with friends Buck & Janice who own a sailboat & live near Chatfield Reservoir which is one of the spots we stay each time we visit Denver.

My first time on a sailboat!  Steve's 2nd time.

Chatfield Reservoir

Janice & Buck on their boat

Until next time - so long and happy trails!!!

Springtime in The South

Hello friends & family!  We are slowing down our posts as we settle into a more comfortable pace, staying a bit longer at each site. Currently we are in the small historic town of New Bern, North Carolina.

For a long time, we've been looking forward to exploring the Deep South and now that we're finally here... we love it! Beautiful green landscapes, flowering trees and shrubs, bumblebees the size of baseballs, wonderfully friendly people and a slower, more peaceful pace to life. Ahhh... just what we wanted.

Beautiful Azalea's everywhere

Near Augusta, Georgia 

The Bible Belt indeed - scenes like this are everywhere

A few weeks ago, we finally completed the remodel work on our coach that had been planned for some time.  We needed a better space for our computer setup so we returned to Red Bay, Alabama (Tiffin Motorhome manufacturer) and had the work done by a great craftsman - Chris Berry.  He did an outstanding job, seamlessly matching new cabinets and countertops to the originals.

The finished product - added cabinets below the window & computer desk

AFTER remodel

BEFORE remodel

After leaving Alabama, we traveled through Guntersville (visiting friends there) and headed to Augusta, Georgia (gorgeous!!!) and then on to Savannah. We were actually staying at a beautiful park across the sound in Hilton Head Island, SC but drove back to Savannah to enjoy a fabulous lunch at Paula Deen's restaurant & take in the River Walk downtown.  

Then we headed north to Myrtle Beach.  We had a great time on the beach there (dog friendly!) and enjoyed the sites at Murrells Inlet. A real highlight at Myrtle Beach was our visit to the local Calvary Chapel. Outstanding pastor and service there. We always look for Calvary Chapels and most all of them have been great but this one was especially invigorating.  We hope to pass that way again to visit.

On April 15, we celebrated because we'd gotten our tax returns completed (ugh!!) and also because we'd arrived at a long-awaited destination -- New Bern, NC.  More on that later. 

Reflecting back on our first year on the road, we are still pinching ourselves feeling so richly blessed by God. This simpler lifestyle is so wonderful and has allowed us to reassess our priorities. 

Steve and I have drawn much closer to God, and to each other this past year. We now spend a great deal of our time studying the Bible and worshiping together. We find incredible peace, comfort and excitement for the future in the scriptures. All this despite the frightening trends and developments in the world. 

We so enjoyed the recent epic mini-series on The Bible and had fun re-reading each story portrayed. We are also learning so much on Bible Prophecy regarding End Times. Wow - America needs to wake up and pay attention! We are on the threshold of the great tribulation. Can anyone deny that we are seeing a rapid escalation of horrible, tumultuous events?  Earthquakes, wars & rumors of war... it's all described in detail in the Bible.  And to think it all originally started with God's covenant with Abraham of the Promised Land - Israel. And now it's all about to hit the fan and reach the climax of the prophetic story.

Israel - the Holy Land is in the news daily. Things are about to explode in the Middle East, nation rising against nation. And we are closer than ever to a one-world government, a one-world economy and even a one-world religion.  Read all about it in the book of Revelation. The Bible is absolutely reliable and infallible. But there are also many great scholars & information is plentiful. We are finding an avalanche of tremendous programming on cable/satellite TV as well as in books on prophecy and current events. The Internet can be of some use but you have to be careful to avoid the meaningless commentary that's out there (often disputing validity but failing to offer evidence) and instead focus on the studies of the actual historical records & scientific evidence. One of my other favorite sources is the NRB network, but it's only on DIRECTV. There's no better use of our time, and nothing so important as to gaining understanding of what is happening in the world right now and why it's happening... and most of all -- to BE READY for what's about to unfold. 

Back in January when we were in Orlando, my sister Jeanne and I visited an attraction called the "Holy Land Experience". They've replicated many scenes from the Holy Land in Israel such as the original Garden of Eden, the Temple Mount, Old Jerusalem, the birthplace of Christ, the site of the crucifixion and resurrection, the Garden Tomb, etc.  AWESOME.  Here are a few pics...

The Great Temple of the King (destroyed twice) - a third and final temple will be rebuilt in Jerusalem on the Temple 

Mount (very soon - watch for this event!). This is the spot where the anti-christ will stand and claim to be the Messiah and will indeed deceive many! (See Matthew 24:3-5) The great deception is coming and is already in the works. (Ask me about this!!) This will happen before Jesus returns to this very spot for the battle of Armageddon and then to reclaim the earth, renew it and begin His rein for a thousand years. Of course this will be AFTER the great tribulation.  

A replica of the boat used by Jesus and disciples in the Sea of Galilee

There was an amazing wax museum. Pictured 

here is Jesus sweating blood (Luke 22:44) 

the night before the crucifixion.

     He is coming back soon - BE READY!

A 45-foot, historically correct replica of Old Jerusalem & the 

Temple Mount as it was in the time of King Herod