Proud Sister

Hey everyone,

I just wanted to post a 30-second video of my brother Mike. He just got a new job at the museum, and I think he's really talented. Take a look. More from the road soon...

Buster's Twin!

While camping at the KOA in Richmond, Indiana, we met Shelby, Buster's long lost cousin.  Can you see the resemblance?  

We've added a few more photos to our Flickr site---the link is on the right side of this page.

 

Headin' Home

As you can see gas prices are increasing, and living in a van is getting a little cramped, so we've decided to cut short the mileage and head for home.  We would have loved to continue sightseeing east coast attractions and will sorely miss not meeting up with friends Sue & Dan in Ottawa and Bob & Loretta in New Jersey.  Asheville was our turnaround spot and now we're in a KOA in Richmond, Indiana conveniently located right beside the freeway.  And I mean RIGHT BESIDE the freeway!

We'll keep blogging until we get home.  Thanks for all the love and support along the way!

S, V & B

Great Smoky Mountains and Puke

Vanessa and I spent the past week in the Great Smoky Mountains.  In the end we had a wonderful time but our arrival was not as relaxing as we had hoped.  First, we discovered that the Smokies are actually somewhat mountainous and Appalachians do not believe in switchbacks.  Our cabin was perched on the top of steepest driveway known to man - at least 20% grade!  Big Brown made it up, but coming down was a different story.  On one of the turns, our bike rack started scraping along the pavement, and we had to disassemble the rack MID-HILL just to out of the driveway.  So we ditched that cabin and began searching for another.

Fortunately we did find another which was still on an incline, but manageable.  Things were looking up until, when reaching into the cupboard to a glass, a cockroach scurried up the side of the cabinet.  I must be mellowing because I only let out a scream, not a blood-curdling shriek as I would have in the past.  That aside, the cabin was peaceful and we enjoyed several days of relaxation.  The spring colors were starting to take shape around the cabin, so it seemed appropriate to take Buster's senior photos.  Take a look:

We also found out that our brakepads needed replacing thanks to some friendly Ford

 mechanics who did our oil change.  Two days later we had new brakes and an invitation to a luncheon in the garage.  Vanessa enjoyed chicken casserole and butterscotch pie while hanging with two Ford guys and two guys from Napa autoparts who came across the street for some home cookin'.

After a few days of hot tub soaking, we headed to Elkmont campground in the Smokies. We snagged a riverside campsite, and met a couple of nice people.  One guy even left all his wood for us (score!), enough to burn a fire from 2pm to 9pm the following day.  The weather was perfect for an all-day fire, and we did in fact sit around it for seven hours.  The next day we took a six-mile hike through along a picture perfect river lined with blooming wildflowers and winding through a colorful leafy forest.  The Smokies are truly beautiful!

Now we're on the road again, and just in case you're wondering what we talk about for the hours and hours and hours we spend on the road, here are a couple of snippets:

Indecision:  

S:  Hey, Vanessa.  Do you think we should get gas?

V:  I don’t know.  Are we out?

S:  No, we’ve got a tank and a half, but it’s only $3.23; that’s a good deal.

V:  But we only need 1/2 a tank.

S:  So you don’t want to stop?

V:  If you think we should.

S:  Oh, crap, we just missed the exit.  Never mind.

Buster:  Endlessly fascinating discussions.

S/V:  “Buster!  How are you today”

B:  Blank look.

S/V:  “What are you thinkin’ little buddy?  Want to go to Tennessee?”

B:  Scatching of ear.

S/V:  “Yeah you wanna go to Tennessee!” 

B:  Licking.

S/V: “Whose the best dog in Tennessee?”

B:  More licking.

S/V:  “That’s right!  Buster Brown!  You da dog!  You da man!”

B:  Body flop and eyes close.

Genius Debates:

S:  Which do you think is more indispensable:  the fork or the spoon?

V:  Uh, I don’t know.

S:  But if you were forced to decide.

V:  Probably the fork.

S:  No Way!  The spoon.  Unquestionably the spoon!  You could no longer be 

able to eat any liquids.  How would you eat ice cream?  Soup would be impossible.  The fork?  Ridiculous.

V:  Whatever.

Misunderstandings.

S:  We’re going to take Interstate 40 to Asheville, right?

V:  Yes, it should be the next exit.

S:  We might have passed it.

V:  #@!#&%$!

S:  Relax, I can take the next exit.

V:  No, I’m not talking about that.  Buster just puked on me!! ( This really happened and was disgusting.)

Patriotism:

S:  Let’s sing America songs because we’re traveling across America.  

V:  Ok, how about God Bless America?

S:  Great.

S & V:  God bless America, land that I love.  Stand beside her, and guide her to the ...mumble, mumble, unintelligible...sound trailing off...

V:  Um, how about that other one with the purple mountains?

S:  Oh yeah - uh - what is it called?  Purple mountains majesties...

V:  Yeah yeah and amber waves of grain..

S & V:  AMERICA! AMERICA! God shed his grace on thee!!!!  And crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea!!!!

Walkin' in Memphis

Memphis is a great city:  full of life, history, and music.  Our first stop was the Lorraine Motel, site of the National Civil Rights museum, and the site where Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated.  Having taught the Civil Rights movement to 8th graders for the past several years (this is Sarah writing), I was excited to see this famous spot and to learn more.  The museum turned out to be overwhelming, a visual explosion of pictures, old tv clips, placards, timelines and memorabilia.  The main focus is African Americans' struggle for equal rights (little mention of the struggle for latino, women, or gay rights).  The best part was seeing the room in which Dr. King stayed the last night of his life.  Half-filled coffee cups, ashtrays littered with cigarettes, that day's newspaper on the bed made the hotel room come to life.  It was an odd juxtaposition:  the normalcy of the room contrasted with the larger-than-life exhibit in the museum. The worst part was struggling with the question of how a site like this should be commemorated.  A protester outside told us the $11 million spent to build and maintain the museum should have instead gone to fund low-income housing for the poor in Memphis.  Tough call.  Do you preserve a historical site to teach future generations or help the current generation live better?  We walked by the numerous vacant and dilapidated buildings of Memphis and wondered if our $12 entry fee would have been better spent contributing to the food bank.

The next part of our visit was much easier:  Beale Street.  We enjoyed lunch while listening to the Lousiana Mojo Queen belt out soul music and flirt with the men.  When Vanessa walked up to put some money in her tip jar, she said, "Thank you, dahrling.  Well, now that you've fed momma's tip jar, I need to sing my song."  She proceeded to sing a provocative, "Feed My Kitty" which prompted everyone else in the place to follow Vanessa's lead and drop some money into her 5-gallon tip bucket.  

Next, we visited Graceland.  I'm not sure, but I think it's one of the most visited sites in the world.  The staff clearly understands this and ushers you through the exhibits with the precision of a military operation.  Graceland is smaller than I imagined.  The house is homey, drips in 70's style, and houses most of Elvis's gold/platinum records as well as his famous pantsuits. 

 Visitors can tour the mansion, walk through the Lisa Marie Airplane, and gawk at his fabulous car collection.  I also tried Elvis's favorite treat:  fried peanut butter and banana sandwich.  Tasty, but a bit too sweet. Elvis was a legend, and despite the gaudiness of his home or the circus-like atmosphere that surrounds it now, you can't help but look at the his video clips and not love the guy.

We also dropped by Sun Records, famous for producing Johnny Cash, and dipped into the Gibson Guitar Company.  As you can see, I don't need a real instrument as I play a mean air guitar on my own.

We're in Chattanooga tonight and then head off to the Smoky Mountains soon.  Thanks for continuing our journey with us!

Happy Birthday, Vanessa!!!

April 10 is Vanessa's 29th birthday. I'm going to treat her to the best steak dinner in Little Rock, Arkansas. Send your best wishes to this beautiful, generous, positive, smart and caring person. I LOVE YOU, V! xoxo

South-Central USA

The southern-central USA is not a place that one would generally choose as a vacation destination - right? All those jokes about Texas or the south - rednecks, hillbillies, sauna like humidity and on and on - some of that must be true, yes?  Well, some of it is true of course, but those are the same reasons why you might come - to find the truth and to find what these places are really like.  And of course when you come in with low expectations, you often leave pleasantly surprised.  So here are a few of the reasons we'd come back to the south-central USA:

Hill Country, TX:   This area is covered in rolling hills of pasture and stubby pine trees, cute towns with historic buildings selling art, antiques, and dog treats, 

and Lyndon B Johnson museums and hometown.

Austin, TX:  Fabulous city full of great bars, great food, great live music.  Plus

 the UT campus is there with interesting exhibits and festivals (we saw a “Beat” generation exhibit and Indian Holi festival).  And there is a river front trail for walking and biking - right downtown.

Southwestern, LA:  This is Cajun country where all the signs are in French and the food tasted like heaven - crawfish, shrimp, fried, fried, fried and cafe au laits!  The entire area is infiltrated with water - you are on the bayou - and it has created beautiful wildlife refuges where you can walk and drive and see amazing birds and alligators up close. The culture and history is easy to access with exhibits and music at museums and street parties in small towns.  These people love a party!

North/Central Arkansas:   This area is a postcard perfect scenic area.  You can drive through small backroads winding up and over the Ozark, through quaint towns and farms, and capturing excellent views of river valleys or you can hike through leafy forests, along landscaped looking creeks tumbling over sandstone slabs.  Stay in a cabin built by the CCC in the 30's and then visit early 20th century hotspring bathhouses - maybe even take one and enjoy the old time opulence yourself.  We savored secret BBQ recipe at a local diner and wandered through art galleries (did you know Hot Springs, AR is the #4 best art town?)

And another plus to all of these places is 70-80 degree temps in March and that southern hospitality is really true!  So you see - there are some fun places to visit in this great country that you might not expect.  From these experiences I know we're going to infuse our future vacations with "odd" places because it's there that we always learn the most!

Fine Print - Ok so there are some less desirable things about these places which should be mentioned:  West Texas smells like oil and is littered with the world's highest density of roadkill,  Louisiana has nasty, make you want to hurl ticks and little green inchworms that fall from the sky, and Arkansas has dry counties and no alcohol sales on Sunday.  There are some Confederate flags about - just a few - and you can't find too much health food. Oh and it's tornado season apparently and thunderstorms with inch sized hail are expected.  We're off to find shelter.  More soon...

No Foolin'!

I wish I could say that the following events are my attempt at an April Fool's joke, but unfortunately everything is true.

Our day started out lovely, packing up from a delightful stay in Chicot State Park near Ville Platte, Louisiana. Despite being invaded by inchworms, we cooked over the fire, went on nature trail walks, and took mountain bike rides. Southern Louisiana is swampy, lush, humid, and littered with crawfish shacks waiting to serve "Cajun home cookin'".

Then the day took a turn for worse. We were driving along Interstate 30 from Shreveport to Hot Springs, AR, when we heard a "whap whap whap". "What the “heck” is that?" I asked Vanessa who just looked out the window and said, "Pull over, the tire is shredding." We made it to the side of the road and called AAA. I-30’s could be “Semi Speedway” as almost every vehicle that barreled by was a giant 18-wheeler doing 70mph (the speed limit). Arkansas has had a recent road safety promotion reminding people it is the law to move over to the next lane when there is a vehicle with flashing lights. To their credit, every driver who could moved over, but some were going so fast that they couldn't merge into the left lane fast enough which meant speeding semi in the left lane, speeding semi in the right lane and little brown van on the side of the road with two shivering girls and a surprisingly oblivious chihuahua. It was at this point Vanessa discovered a blood-engorged tick on Buster's neck. I admit to a little vomit coming up into my mouth.

Eventually, the tow truck did arrive and a very kind gentleman changed our tire, not seeming to notice the dangers telling us about his wife who didn't know how to drive a standard transmission. Arkansas people have guts!

Tire changed, we limped to the nearest hotel and checked in. At that point a thunderstorm struck with a vengeance. The distance from the van to the hotel entrance was about 20 feet, and in that moment of sprinting to the door my clothes under my shirt, I was completely drenched. I've never experienced that much water coming down in that short of time. Now, we were wet, tired, dirty and just wanting to relax in a clean comfortable room. I plopped down on the bed (before removing the bedcover of course---we've all seen that bugmite 20/20, haven't we?) and immediately realized I had left a window open in top part of the van! I jumped up, grabbed the keys and bolted from the room. I use the word bolted because when I opened the door too quickly, the silver latching lock swung over and I smacked my forehead into with such force it knocked me to the ground. Dazed but still panicked about the lake forming in the van, I ran outside, again getting soaked from head to toe, only to find out I had indeed closed the window.

Needless to say spending the next day at Arkadelphia's Tire Store was not a highlight of the trip. But we survived, we're still smiling, and we've got four new tires to take us down the road...wherever that might be. Hope your April started off on a better note.