Several terrific things happened today!

Ned arrived on an earlier flight at 5pm!  Hooray!  After dinner, we returned the 2 miles to the airport for his luggage, which was no trouble.

Dinner at the fabulous campground restaurant, Chena’s at the River’s Edge, was riverfront and delicious- a definite improvement from our simple Skillet-in-a-bag type meals.

Our caravan friends arrived and we practiced CB'ing with them (hadn't learned that skill before) and took Ned over to meet them when he arrived.  Ken and Sherri have a SuperNova, C+ type RV with a huge truck chassis and slideouts.  It's like a mansion to us!  In fact, we first met Ken when Charles and I walked by them in Dawson City- we were exclaiming over it, displaying rig-envy, not noticing that Ken was right out front with his computer.  Good thing we were so complimentary!  :)  http://www.gulfstreamcoach.com/supernova/index.htm

The Welcome Wagon for Alaska arrived tonight!  Jane, a Fairbanks resident is a friend of John Coxon, who is a Lazy Daze friend of mine- he has the exact year and color twin of Ciao Baby.  (John has been a terrific source of encouragement and information for us with both our trip and rig).  John had asked Jane to drop by to see us and she did!  We were walking back from dinner and she'd just found Ciao Baby.  Jane brought us Alaska flags, kites, coasters, a special Alaska 50th Anniversary posters, pens, and an Alaska book!  It was like Christmas- the kids were so thrilled.  Now how nice is that?!  We were just blown away by their thoughtfulness!  Thank you, Jane and John- you are inspirations.

Happy 40th Birthday to Kristina today!  Whoo-hooo!

After Libby and I decided we would take a day trip to DC, we went online to check the weather. On the weather site we saw a picture of the Lincoln Memorial. Libby said "I want to see him." Trinity and I had never made it to the Lincoln Memorial, so the three of us figured it was as good a goal as any for a summer day. We got to DC at about 10:30 and our first mission was to find food. I had never taken a day trip to DC before, so maybe that was why I didn't notice the lack of good food available. We took the Metro to Smithsonian aka the Tourist stop. At first, we didn't want to buy food from a street vendor because we were hungry, we wanted to eat something good. But the farther we walked, the tastier the flowers in the flowers beds along the street looked. We finally backed down and bought hot dogs and pretzels from a guy who ran out of Pepsi. It's no wonder our government can't get their act together. They can't even get a decent meal, for christ sake. Also, the temperature was slowly rising. It would get up to 96 by the end of the day. I found out later that meanwhile, Milwaukee was having what people would describe as "the nicest day of the year." You win again irony!

Our first stop was the White House, where we did what everyone else does. Gape at it through the gate, take pictures of ourselves in front of it, and quietly wonder to one another that it doesn't seem so hard to just jump right over the fence. I look at other people doing the same thing I'm doing, and it looks ridiculous. But it's still really cool. I'll be honest, it gives me chills when I see it up close. At least, it would have gave me chills, if it wasn't 9 degrees. The next time I go to DC, I'll go back to see the White House yet again. I might be protesting something, but I'll still go there, anyway.

After that we headed back toward the Washington Monument. I love the Washington Monument. You can see it from anywhere in the tourist area, so if you get lost or turned around, all you need is a map and eyes to see it, and you'll find your way home. I also love/hate how no matter where you are, it looks HUGE, and it seems like you could take a fantastic picture of yourself in front of it. But when you take the picture, there you are, in the middle of a giant field, with this teeny tiny little stick in the background. We climbed to the top of the hill and touched it. What else is there to do with it? I don't want to go inside. Then we climbed back down through a field of goose poop.

By the time we made it to the WWII Memorial, I wanted to dive into the fountain. But I figured if I got arrested, I'd have no one to bail me out. No one we work with who has the ability to fly there has the money for that, and my dad would possibly disown me for disrespecting a national monument. If my dad is going to disown me, I'd rather have it be for something cool and/or progressive, like marrying a girl, not acting like a retard. So we trudged on ahead, past the Reflecting Pool, which is filthy. It was even hotter by this point, but I didn't want to jump into that water. There was even a little baby goose who refused to cross that pool of green waste. The Reflecting Pool is 700,000 miles long, if you didn't know. I'm sure you could actually calculate what it really is, by dividing the temperature by that number and factoring in the unavailability of water in the area. It's all relative! We were starting to wonder if the Lincoln Memorial really existed, or if it was actually a mirage. We made it there, but first took a detour to a little "store" that sold water and other things. I don't know how much the water cost, but it could have been $10 and I'd have been like "I'll take eight." We slammed our waters and climbed up to Abe, and then we sat at the top and took a half hour break, eating chips and crushed up Apple Strudel Pop Tarts.

We headed back past the Korean War Memorial. This time we walked in the shade, at least till we got back towards the Washington Monument, and we drank the rest of the water on the way, which had already boiled in our backpacks. Let me tell you, there's nothing like drinking a bottle of hot water on a hot day. We got back on the train, and we accidentally took the wrong one, but figured it out soon enough to turn back around...we were only in central Virginia after all. We got to the airport and walked from the Metro stop back to our terminal. We could have took the shuttle, but we actually beat another co-worker who also took a day trip, who got off the Metro at the same time we did but took the shuttle, back to the gate. We had already walked 150 miles or something, what was one more? This one was air conditioned!

Before we went through security, we stopped at this little store to buy a Barack Obama shirt. All I can ever find is size XL around here, so on my way in I saw a cute green ladies tee there for only $18. While we were shopping, I thought some people were standing behind me, but when I looked up, they were actually giant cardboard cutouts of Obama and McCain. Trinity, Libby and I all started freaking out and yelling "Oh my god, take my picture!" We all took turns standing next to Obama and laughing as we took pictures. There were other people, including airport employees watching us, laughing and pointing as they said "oh cool, they're taking pictures!" It was as though they never saw anyone do it, which I find hard to believe. I mean, you see a giant cardboard cutout, you have your camera, isn't that your initial reaction? There were two other guys there, and they had the same idea, so Libby asked them if they both wanted to get in the picture and she could take it. They were posing with Obama and McCain. How weird! We asked them to do the same for us. So we all got in the picture, and Libby stood in front of McCain to block him from view. Just as the guy was about to snap the picture, Libby moved her purse to the side, and John McCain fell over on to the floor. We all just started laughing and were going to leave him there, but one of the guys that had our cameras was being responsible and he tried to pick him up and fix it, but McCain's spine fell apart and we couldn't get him to stand anymore. The employee of the store even started laughing, and he dragged McCain off to the side to repair him. Then I took a picture of Trinity and Obama with my phone, and it was awesome because it was a cheap camera phone and the lighting was so horrible that it actually looked real, instead of like cardboard. Trinity was like "It's like he's my dad!"

Summary: It was really hot in DC, but not as hot as it's going to be next year, baby!
Lesson learned: Next time, bring a picnic lunch!

7.24.08 Chicken to Fairbanks

It is amazing how productive a day can be with continuous sunlight!  The darkness in Eagle must have been due to the surrounding forest because it is twilight right now at midnight, Alaska time. 

This practically means that you can get up early, play all day, take forever to get where you are going, and still not worry about trying to find the campground in the dark- or worse, trying to back into your campsite in the dark. 

And then you can go for a 10pm walk along the river! 

Finally, because we must, we pull the blackout curtains, duct tape the bottom of the curtain to block the remaining light, put on eye masks and sleep.  Or play on the computer!

We are so thrilled to have cell phone service and Verizon air card today!  Hooray!  We used up our monthly minutes talking to Ned on the cell phone tonight, I’m sure.  We’re so excited to see him tomorrow and have planned to have a fun family vacation, relaxing mainly in Fairbanks.

Here are location highlights from stops on the route today to Fairbanks:

Chicken:

Great time visiting with our Adventure Caravan friends this morning.  I’d researched and finally chosen the Fairbanks Rivers Edge campground closest to the Fairbanks Airport for tonight and guess where they are staying for 5 nights beginning tomorrow night?  Rivers Edge Campground.  Since we met them in Dawson City, again in Chicken, and next in Fairbanks, they think we’re following them!  Haha!  I can definitely see where the social aspect of a Caravan is the real reason to attend.  They will really know each other well after 60 days together.  It sounds like Adventure Caravan’s excellent reputation is well-founded.  We’ll look forward to seeing them tomorrow!  (And they look forward to meeting Ned!)

The U.S. Post Office in Chicken:  is so small that the nice postmistress insisted on coming outside to take our picture with her noisy rubber chicken- hilarious!  She has a special “Chicken, Alaska” stamp that she’ll use on our postcards. 

Also, the Chicken postmistress said the Top of the World Highway can be really miserable when it rains- that an RV was towed out of the mud in the middle of it last week.  We were lucky it was so dry.  That is where “check road conditions” becomes critical. 

She also said that she learned the Dempster was basically shut down last week and that multiple families were doubling up in Eagle Plains Lodge (the Dempster halfway point) and they were running out of food!  I am sure that was on our last day when nobody passed us in our 12-hours or so of very slow driving.

Tok (pronounced with a long O):  Just over an hour down a *paved* road outside of Chicken!  Hooray for paved!  We washed Ciao and stopped at “J-Squared RV Service” which was excellent and just opened in May.  He was very helpful and conquered my long list of little things that needed work, so Ned can enjoy his vacation.  We also got an oil change with synthetic oil and the total bill was $128- very reasonable! 

We sailed on by the Tok Visitor’s Center, which was right there and I should have turned around, but I figured Fairbanks has one.  There are 4 main combined-agency Visitor Info Centers and this was one.  I regret not stopping- that is one of my mantras:  Always stop at Visitor’s Info!

Delta Junction:  http://www.alaska101.com/exploreAlaska/deltaj/alaska_travel_deltaj.htm

This is the end of the 1442 mile long famous Alaska Highway.  Did you know the U.S. government punched the Alaska Highway through from Dawson Creek, British Columbia in just 8 months, after Pearl Harbor was attacked?  In fact, the U.S. started constructing it a good month before we got formal Canadian permission.  It took a huge effort to build and later upgrade and straighten that amazing

road.

This Delta Junction visitor’s center was very interesting with huge mosquito statues, animal exhibits, books, postcards, and exhibits of the Alaska Pipeline which goes through Delta Junction as it runs between Prudhoe Bay in the north down to Valdez on the Prince Edward Sound in the south.  

I understand that you can drive to Prudhoe Bay on an unpaved road similar to the Dempster, but the last 3 miles that actually go to the Artic Ocean are closed now because of the pipeline security.  Which means that you cannot stick your toe in the Artic Ocean, I guess, which really is too bad.  Nor can you throw yourself into the icy water and get your Polar Bear Certificate.  <sigh>

Rika's Roadhouse:  Just 8 miles north of Delta Junction, the site is now part of the Alaska State Parks system and is impressive!  There are about 8 log buildings preserved as museums for their trades:  Roadhouse, blacksmith shop, stable, gardens, house, etc that have advertisements with prices, memories of elders from the area, and examples of all the tools, photos, etc.  Fascinating!  We had no idea the “Roadhouse” was such an elaborate exhibit and enjoyed it all by ourselves for about an hour and a half.  http://www.dnr.state.ak.us/parks/units/deltajct/bigdelta.htm

Pipeline:  We saw the Alaska Pipeline Bridge over the Tanana River as the 48" pipe runs between Prudhoe Bay and Valdez! 

http://www.alaska-highway.org/delta/alyeska_pipeline.htm

Since the end of the Alaska Highway is at Delta Junction, we jumped onto the Richardson Highway which began in Valdez and continues on to Fairbanks.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richardson_Highway

North Pole:  Did you know there is a North Pole, Alaska?  We took pictures in front of the giant Santa statue, mailed a postcard to Ned, and laughed at the street names like “St. Nicholas Lane.”  The RV park there looked quite full and we were glad we’d called ahead to Fairbanks for camping reservations.  We were sad that the Christmas store had closed, but it was 9 pm by then.  www.northpolealaska.com/

Surprisedly, ever since north of Calgary, campground reservations have been held for us with just a phone call, but credit card required.  They just trust that we’ll be there and hold the site for us.  I think that is really terrific!

We saw 3 moose today!  One tried to cross in front of us just 10 miles east of Fairbanks!  It waited after I honked and then crossed after us, luckily.

River’s Edge Campground is terrific!  We are surprised at how delightful the campsites, lodge, and adorable rental cabins are with baskets of flowers everyone.  The people are very nice and helpful, which makes all the difference.  The restaurant here on the river has a menu to die for and we plan to go there with Ned.

We’re so happy to be here in Fairbanks- we left Inuvik a couple days early so we could also see Eagle and Chicken before making it to Fairbanks for Ned’s visit.  Now we can rest up, clean out, plan our fun, and are just 5 minutes from the airport for tomorrow's pickup.  Our weekend camping is confirmed (best to stay put over busy summer weekends- campgrounds fill quickly) and we can add on nights here as long as we like. 

Also, we know that our spell of long driving days are over unless we decide we want to do so.  Our schedule is completely open hereafter with a general plan, but no reservations.  I love it! 

Alaska:  It is beautiful here with ice-capped mountains in the Alaska Range that go on forever, crisp clear air, wildlife, brisk and sparkly rivers, and green tree covered hills.  Driving will be rather compact for being in such a large state (2.3 times the size of Texas!)- there are a few roads in the interior, the Kenai Peninsula, and ferry rides down the inside passage to explore.  National and State parks are plentiful.   

Weather:  After about a week of rainy overcast skies, today was glorious with vivid sunshine and 70 degree weather.  It is just perfect for short sleeves and jeans.

Ciao Baby:  Crossed 111,000 miles on the odometer today, which means she's added 20,000 wonderful adventure miles since we bought her May 14, 2007, just over a year ago!  What a terrific RV!

Awesome view. A nice place to be with someone you love.

It's a place for extended stay. Can be cheaper than most hotels, you have to do your cleaning. Laundry can be done for free. It has a nice kitchen. Felt some bites, didn't see any bugs but I believe there are some there. Having said all that, its a good place cost/benefit.

I loved it. Clean, clean clean.... that is how I like. People here are kind. Shuttle service even offers you a soda. Loved it! Got through hotwire for an incredible rate, I am totaly satisfied,

Since coming to Sudbury I have had the privilege of touring Science North ... you truly can't enjoy it all in oneday as the is just so so much to see The walls as you walk into the museum are made up of stone from Sudbury ... it original was drilled through and now you walk through it, dark, and dripping of water ... you'll feel you're in a cave ... Then you can walk up gradually in a spiral that takes you to each of the four floors of the Science Centre or take the elevator provided. The floor gradually spirally around a skeleton of the Fin Whale ... the skeleton reaches all floors all the up to the fourth floor ... an awesome sight to see!!! The first level is geared for toddlers The second level's main attraction is the newly installed BUTTERFLY GALLERY ... don't come wearing a sweater etc. you'll 'die' from the heat/humidity they provide for the butterflies that land on your shoulders etc. We love this!!!!! Bring you camera. The third level is full of animals recovered ... a beaver and porcupine ... and other animals like the flying squirrel and touch turtles etc. native to Northern Ontario ... Our girls watch in awe as the staff will hold the flying squirrel and if will fly across to the other staff member, then they always pick someone from the audience to catch the squirrel ... actually the squirrel flies into the pockets of the robes they wear but sometimes the odd squirrel has found his/her way down into a person's pant pocket ... that's funny to see!! The fourth level is on the body ... you see what colour lungs become when smoking, you can lay on a bed of nails, check your heart rate through proforming different test ... see how far you can stretch etc. There is something for everyone and Sudbury's main tourist attraction!! p.s. if you have time there are many shows free of charge or take in IMAX movie (separate price unfortunately) have your wallets ready!!!

Oh My God! I was fooled by hotwire. This place is a cheap motel. Filled with bugs, there was even a bee in my room. Stains in the carpet, walls... sheets looked cheap and were harsh. They told us it was a 3 star resort... The person who wrote that has never been to a resort before. I wish I had stayed in Comfort Inn. Oh and dont be fooled by this picture... I thought it was a nice picture... When I was asking for directions one lady asked me if it was a small motel nearby. I said no... its supposed to be a very nice place... She said, oh I am sorry, the only one I know its a small motel-like right there... And there I was... in the " resort" .

Leaving Nashville was a bit hellish, as we were caught in a torrential downpour for about an hour. It's terrible sharing the two-lane highway with tens of tractor trailers and SUVs, trying to navigate around them while struggling to look out the window with the rain all around. George, however, is a good driver and managed to make it through the downpour on our way to Memphis.

Past the thunderstorm, the drive was uneventful. Our kitty cat Ema started to get too warm, which I only figured out after watching her get restless and then start to pant. That's awful watching your normally sweet peaceful kitty start breathing quickly and then meow with her tongue hanging out. But we quickly turned up the AC and cooled her down. She laid back down and chilled out for the rest of the ride.

Once we arrived in Memphis, we headed to the hotel to check in. However, the hotel was overbooked and the clerk said to check back in an hour to get a room. We couldn't sit outside with windows rolled down, as it's nearly 100 degrees and Ema obviously can't take the heat. So we decided to head to a barbecue joint that had rave reviews from one of George's coworkers as well as web review sites. Called Interstate BBQ, it's located a short distance off of I-240 West in a nondescript area just south of downtown Memphis.

George had to run in to pick up lunch, and boy did he do a good job picking out good food. He got us both a chopped pork sandwich loaded with spicy barbecue sauce as well as a side of the yummiest baked beans for me. Despite being hungry, I only managed to eat half of the large sandwich. Definitely in our top 5 bbq places, perhaps even top 3!

After we finally checked into the hotel room, we chilled in the hotel room for a bit, letting Ema get used to her new surroundings before heading back out. The heat and humidity this afternoon was absolutely oppressing, making it hard to even breathe. We were spoiled in Nashville and Mammoth Cave with 80-something degree weather and low humidity. I watched the car thermometer climb from 68 this morning in Nashville to 99 by the time we reached Memphis. Just too damn hot! Chalk that complaint up to yet another reason why we're leaving the East Coast for the West. ;0)

We had a couple sites in mind to visit, the first being Sun Studios near downtown. I had visited back in 1989 on a family trip, but George has never been to Memphis, so this site was his first priority. The tour was a lot of fun, a pleasant surprise for me and especially enjoyable for George. The tour guides have really amped up the nostalgia factor by playing music while explaining the various exhibits in a room upstairs from the cafe, which neighbors the original studio. I enjoyed the multimedia effect, it really emphasized Sun Studio's role in developing blues for the mainstream nationwide audience.

We got to see the original recording equipment used to record Elvis, Johnny Cash, BB King, Roy Orbison, U2, and many many others. When I had first done this tour back when I was 13, the most impressive part to me was being in the same studio where U2 recorded songs off of Rattle and Hum. Not that I'm a big Rattle and Hum fan--it's definitely a different, political album than the rest of their material--but I mean, it's U2! What 13 year old girl in the late '80s wouldn't appreciate that?! I remember being severely disappointed that "Pride (in the Name of Love)" with its references to MLK's assassination wasn't recorded there but "Angel of Harlem" and its NY references was. At the time, it just didn't make sense to me subject wise. Yes, I was a super nerd even back then. ;0)

The tour guide, Dave, was an interesting fellow. He was young, in his late 20s and obviously a rocker. In fact, all of the employees looked like rockabillies in their late 20s and early 30s. Dave said he was interviewed for a long time for the Walk the Line documentary about Johnny Cash and Sun Studios, but that all his interview material was cut in the final production. Oh well. He spent the last few minutes of the tour promoting his CD as well as asking for tips. That was pretty strange and not really welcomed, but otherwise, he was a fun, knowledgeable tour guide, obviously enthusiastic about Sun Studios and the '50s and '60s blues and rock era. He even lip synched an opening that a Memphis DJ gave when playing Elvis's first single for the first time on radio. The song was so popular, 45 people called up and asked for him to play it again and he ended up playing it 14 times during his shift that same evening. What an illustrious start to a fantastic career.

After the tour, we spent a few minutes taking pics inside and outside the studio, which of course I can't share with you just yet. Still no camera cord, argh! Then we looked at the clock and realized that we had about 30 minutes to get downtown to the Peabody Hotel to watch the ducks trail from the lobby upstairs via the elevator. I was so excited to share this with George. We got a great parking spot and walked in the hotel. We saw a lot of families in the lobby, and I thought for sure we just needed to find the right area to watch the processional. So I asked a staff person, and unfortunately, I was an hour off. The processional is at 5 PM, not 6 PM like I thought. So disappointing.

The next thing George wanted to do was walk across the pedestrian bridge to a peninsula on the Mississippi called Mud Island River Park. George wanted to check out the five-block replica of the Mississippi River. We walked through the downtown, checking out buildings on Main Street. Normally we love walking through downtowns, but today it was just too bloody hot. We were drenched in sweat (sexy, huh?) very quickly, and of course, walking between buildings was the worst without the river breeze. So we walked another block to the trail along the river and passed Confederate Park, which is probably one of the saddest sights we've seen so far. A statute of Jefferson Davis is the highlight. Now don't get me wrong, I'm a Virginian and come from a long line of Southerners, so some Southern pride is definitely instilled in me. But really, naming a park Confederate Park in 2008? It clearly was a place for homeless men to camp out, including a band of rough looking white homeless guys sitting in circle talking. A bus stop was right in front of the park that appeared to be a bus line for low income people, all of whom were black at the time we passed by. George and I just had to shake our heads, we thought it was sadly ironic place, like most of Memphis. (As a side note, in Tennessee today I've seen two references to Nathan Bedford Forrest, the infamous Confederate general who founded the KKK. On I-40 about 1.5 hours east of Memphis is NBF state park, and near Sun Studios is a marker for NBF's place of death. I mean, seriously? Commemorating the founder of the KKK in a predominately black city?)

We continued walking until we eventually reached the Mud Island visitor center. but...the place was closed! It closed at 6 PM, and it was about 6:30 at the time. Boy, were we not happy. It just didn't make sense why the pedestrian bridge was closed to the public at an early time.

So now we were cranky, hot, and thirsty. We decided to walk back to the Peabody, but along the way thought it might be fun to check out Beale Street for a block or two. Along the way, we came across Front Street Deli that had several handwritten signs for milkshakes. I figured, hey we're on vacation and need to cool off, why not get one and check out a local place at the same time? And what do you know, George tries the door, and it's locked. Who knows when it closed for the day? We struck out three times in a row and were pretty much ready to call it a day. But we did end up walking a block of Beale Street so George could find a greeting card, which was surprisingly hard to find. I guess no one wants greeting cards these days, although certainly post cards are still popular.

By the time we reached our car, it was about 7:30. We felt we had walked around the city for hours, although it had only spent less than two. I was supposed to attend an anthropology conference in downtown Memphis in March and now am kinda glad I couldn't go. I don't think I would've enjoyed spending several days without a car just walking around the city. I saw so much despair and poverty on the streets that I haven't seen in a long time, and that makes my heart feel heavy with sadness.

We were near S. Third Street, so we decided to head back to Interstate BBQ for dinner. We got to see a part of the city that normally we would've bypassed on the interstate. Dinner was delicious, and I enjoyed listening to other diners' conversations. The TV in the dining room was tuned to CNN, which was discussing its Black in America special. That sparked an interesting conversation between two older black men eating ribs, and it was interesting to hear their thoughts after having formed some opinions about race relations in Memphis based on observations throughout the day. One of the men had a neat Obama "Progress" tee shirt on, and though I'm not quite sold on Obama, it was just neat to see someone who evidently was proud that Obama's running.

Tomorrow morning we head out early to Oklahoma City to meet up with a friend I met on Kaboodle.com. More to come!

Usually when I’m traveling I like to get up early, so the day can last as long as possible. But this time it was different. I was so tired after the long travel, that I just wanted to sleep, hehe. I woke up early, noticed that things were still quiet and peaceful, so I just turned and kept on sleeping hehe. It was around 10, when we decided to get up and start the day.

Eric asked me what I wanted to do, and my answer was very simple: “You are the host, so I’ll follow you, hehe” We made a deal. He would be the leader in MI and I’d become the leader in Lima, hehe. So, I didn’t have to worry about anything. It was purrrrrrrrrrrrfect, hehe. Since the very beginning we had been talking about visiting Traverse City, a lovely city near Mancelona. But before doing it, there was something I had to do: “Sending a package to Canada!!!” Mario (mario26) my 1^st TB asked me for buying him something in Peru, a present for a friend. I did it and decided to send it from the USA, instead of doing it from Lima, hehe. So our first stop will be “Elk Rapids” A nice town in our way to Traverse City.

We were leaving home and Eric checked the mail. Surprise! There was a package for me, haha. When I was in KC, I forgot a shirt and Jen (ninjafer) had it with her. I contacted her and let her know I’d be in Mancelona, so she sent it to me to Eric’s address. She’s so sweet, thank you! ;)

In our way to Elk Rapids we saw a lot of cherries trees, full of fruits of course. We couldn’t help it and Eric stopped next to some trees, so I could take a closer look at them, besides some pics, haha. We arrived to Elk Rapids almost at noon. We went to the Post Office at first, but it was closed. They had their lunch break. Mmm, what could we do now? Walk around the town, yeah! The day was perfect, sunny and the town was so lovely.

While we were walking around, Eric told me we had to stop for a Pastry. That was a must, haha. We went to a bakery “Sweet Shop” and got a pastry with … “Cherries” haha. It was very tasty. I loved all the antiques shops and the decorations in the streets, they were adorable :) It was almost time for the post office to reassume work, so we went inside. Once we were there a man entered and approached to Eric asking: “Eric, is that you?” He was his former pastor and hasn’t seen him in a couple of years, haha. What a small world, actually we were in a small town, haha. I love the fact, all the people are so friendly :)

Ok, I was done with my big mission and also Eric sent the brochures he wanted. We were ready to keep on moving. Next destination: “Traverse City” yay!

Great place for the whole family to eat and take in Canal Park in Duluth. The service and atmosphere of the restaurant was cutting edge and full of red and black colors. They had a full bar and great seating. The service was A+ and the french fries reminded me of Minnesota State Fair fries! I had a Walleye sandwich, my Mum had Chicken Pot-Pie and my son had a grill cheese sandwich. Oh, the Greek salad was also first class! Additionally, the whole meal was under $45 for 2 adults and one child... Will definitively go again...

If you're ever traveling near Columbus, Ohio and are looking for a simple, cheap, fun place to stop and pass an hour, Olentangy Indian Caverns is highly recommended. Complete with museum, caves, petting zoo, and Indian-related gift shop, I found this little spot to be a very relaxing break from my interstate travel. Only one word of caution: if you go into the cavern you will get wet (water drips from the ceiling), and probably muddy, too. Enjoy!

So we finally get into Florence, South Carolina. Now that we were safe where we were supposed to be, things would go better right? Naw.

After getting all our stuff and getting off the train, we discover that it's raining. Oh joy. We haul all our stuff through the tiny station and outside to the front, looking for the rental car that we thought was going to be there. But it wasn't and we didn't have a phone number for the rental car place. So as we stood around in the rain, trying to decide what to do this guy comes up and says, "Hey, wanna taxi?" He's old, gross, smells like smoke and puke, and his "taxi" is about in the same condition. But we get in his stupid taxi, absolutly petrified, and get him to drive us to the airport so we can get our rental car.

Lena and I sat in the back, and we were both very uncomfterble. It looked like he lived out of the van when he wasn't taxing people around. There were two full ash trays up front with him and claw marks on the ceiling. I looked up and then leaned over to lena and whispered, "Do I want to know why there are claw marks on the ceiling?" We just looked at each other and shivered and tried not to think about what he did with this thing.

Finally we get to the airport and get all our crap out of the back of his van and he tells us we have to pay $15 for the ride and $5 for every person. So we ended up dishing out $30 for a five minute taxi ride to the airport. Whatever, he was creepy, we wanted away from him, we paid the money. Never, ever take a taxi in Florence, especially if it's a van and an old creepy guy.

So we get to the airport and get our rental car. It was nice, leather seats, with that new car smell mixed in with the scent of leather. We had a nice, rainy drive throuhg Florence as we went in search of our hotel. The place looked like crap, and not very friendly, especially with it raining. But once we got to the hotel, things started to look up.

It was a really nice place. My dad (MarksReynolds) wrote a review on it in his blog. It was The Hilton garden In, so if you want to go and read his revive you can go and check it out. The pool was tiny and full of people, so we never really used that. But the breakfast was great and the bed was nice and comfy. I like soft beds, so if you do too these are awesome! We actually got a handicapped room, no idea why, but it was really spacious. As hotels go, it was pretty good.

After we checked in and got settkled in, we were all starving for real food and decided to go to the Outback Steakhouse we saw across the street from our window. My dad also wrote a review on this one, so go check that out too if you're interested. The waitress was really sweet. My dad, right before she came was like, "I haven't heard one good southern accent since we've got here." And what do you know, our waitress had one of the strongest I heard the entire trip. The food was awesome, as normal and it was a welcome comfort after the drama of the day.

After dinner we headed back to the hotel to settle in for the night. After some time on my laptop andsome minor tv watching, it was lights out and off to sleep. My dad got a facebook, I was very amused.

The next day was full of exploring the mall and driving to North Myrtle Beach. But that's a tale for another day.

I don’t know how many meet-ups you have been to and as a matter of fact I’m not sure how many I have been to either.  But the one I attended today was one of the best so far.

Now this one wasn’t advertised much on TravBuddy because work schedules and availability had a big hand in this mini-meetup. 

Originally it was to have been on Sunday, but as I mentioned above life happens. We had talked back and forth for easily two weeks trying to get time, place, and everything else together.

But today at about 2:00pm Pacific Daylight Savings Time, it finally happened. Not the biggest meet-up of all time but certainly one of the nicest ones we’ve had the honor of having.

Erin (poohstanggt) had the chance to drop by our home on her way from Las Vegas to her home in Sacramento.  So the three of us chatted and Erin got to take a break from her nine to ten hour drive to sit and relax for a little while.

We had met Erin twice before, the first time at the LA meetup in December of 2007, and again at the San Francisco Meetup in January 2008.  She is a real sweetheart of a person.  And from the minute she walked in my two Chihuahuas were ready for her attention and enjoyed her stay as well. 

She couldn’t stay long, not nearly as long as any of us would have liked but we were so happy she took the time to stop and relax for a few minutes.

So all those in attendance were Erin (poohstanggt), my wife Judy (Hummingbird), and myself (X_Drive) and our two dogs Taco and Belle (who are not members).  Do we get credit for a meet-up of three members and two friends??  LOL   

Not a well organized/run hotel. In general the staff are not friendly and if you're not going to gamble 24/7 forgetaboutit. (The shuttle to the other Trump hotels is only for the highrollers). No free wireless - access costs $12 a day. They don't even have info in the room about their own hotel, which forces you to ask, which forces you to interact with the staff, which forces you to not have a good experience. Tip: To save the $5 parking fee (self-park) get the free Trump card.