Jus' Sayin' . . . . .

. . . . that I am definitely a fan of warmth, humidity, and low elevations.  When you are 17 feet above sea level and near the ocean you 

 - actually wake up being able to breathe, and not being stuffed up and having nosebleeds every morning,
-  your hair actually starts to curl and you have to do nothing to it,
-  your skin is ever so soft and you don't have to use buckets of lotion every week on your face and hands to keep from feeling like a dried up prune,
-  your nails grow beautifully and don't snap off at the quick jus' caus' you touched the car door 


Yep . . .. it is 78 degrees in Phoenix and I already have my summer clothes on 

Thanks so much Mildred and Rodger for lending us your place . . . we will definitely enjoy being here

Jus' sayin'

Farewell New Mexico and Hello Arizona . . .

The best thing about a road trip is that on a whim you can change where you are going and how you are going to get there.  After being so cold in New Mexico, we decided to head south from Albuquerque and take Highway 60 into Arizona, and not go through Flagstaff as originally planned . ..thought it might be just as cold there.  Glad we did as we had the road to ourselves and drove a route less traveled.  We went through a couple of forested areas and reached elevations of over 8,000 feet . . my lungs and ear drums  have decided they don't like that kind of altitude. 

I am not quite sure what I expected New Mexico to look like in my mind's eye, however it is certainly a very rugged landscape.  It would probably be a cross between our foothills in Alberta and the Badlands . . a whole lot of sage brush and completely unarable land . . .  where we were we did not see any farmland at all, although I am sure there is some.  Was surprised at the cold and the elevation.

The funky art of Santa Fe

Although we didn't get to see much of it, Albuquerque is very large and spread out and Santa Fe is artsy and unique.  A whole lot of art galleries and sculptures everywhere.

Just stood up and posed for me . .

We saw a different corner of Arizona this time, coming in on Highway 60 and from the East. 

Just outside of Show Low . .. Arizona

Hoping we will get a chance to visit Sedona again.  Feeling much better by the way and hopefully Phoenix is nice and warm.

Nostalgia . . .

Travelling down Route 66 is a form of stepping back in time for our generation.  It was really interesting that parts of it still exist and there is a lot of memorabilia surrounding this time period.  This highway eventually ran from Chicago to Santa Monica, connecting Americans to the West. 


Taken from a website . . ..  Route 66 has held a special place in the American consciousness from its beginning. The road is uniquely American. There are a thousand stories of hope, heartbreak, love, hate, starting over, and new dreams found along the next bend of the highway we call the Mother Road. The story of Route 66 is our story; it embodies what makes us a great nation. No other culture has had the same type of love affair with the automobile, and few have had the wide-open spaces offered by the American West. 

For more detailed information on this topic here is the link:

Route 66

Photos taken at Clines Crossing in New Mexico.

Lynn's Two Cents Worth . . ..

Sooo, I gave Lynn my camera to hold for a minute, and when I came back,. this is what he was focusing on . .. I actually thought it was quite hilarious.  Poster was hanging at Clines Crossing in New Mexico on Route 66 where we stopped for coffee.

Pyjama Day . . .

Finally decided to take a day and stay in bed to get ahead of this chest/bronchitis thing.  Haven't left the room all day.  Took several naps, etc. 

Yesterday was an interesting trip from Oklahoma to Texas.  The terrain was somewhat different than I expected.  At first I thought Mrs. Garmin had laryngitis, but she eventually kicked in.  Dang, she can just be annoying sometimes.  Just about as cold here as it is in Edmonton . . what's up with that ..  we are supposed to be in the SOUTH.  I had actually purchased a down filled jacket with a hood in North Carolina as it was dreadfully cold there, and today one of the things I did was look up to see where I can buy Under Armour clothing as this just isn't looking promising.

For Lucille

Thought I would share some more photos from North Carolina.  Just loved that State . . . so diverse and so pretty.  


This photo was taken the same day I climbed Mount Everest with Lynn.  Thought of my sister . . she just loves grasses with the sand and rugged nature.  These sand dunes are just a wee bit south of Kitty Hawk on the Grand Banks.  It was windy and cold and sand got into my lenses and sensor.  Had to get that cleaned up yesterday.  Like I said, I have a whole new respect for Moses now.


I don`t normally shoot wildlife, but if some critter wants to park in front of my camera and pose for me, then I will certainly give it a shot.  I stealthily followed this one around for a bit . . Lynn asked me why I was taking so many pictures . .. simple answer . .. to get a good one.  Love the backlight and I have never seen the tail fan out like this, but then it was windy.


I just love small town America . . driving where Mrs. Garmin thinks we shouldn`t be and poking around the off roads and things.  Came upon this quaint little post office which was just across the water from Roanoke Marshes.  We have freeways at home, so for me there is nothing better than getting off them and seeing the countryside.

Route 66 . . .

Lynn was so excited when he spotted this sign and actually had a chance to drive on this segment of highway for a bit.  Nostalgia . . unfortunately the Route 66 museum in Elk City was closed.

The Power of Mother Nature . . .

There is nothing like the force of nature . . . yesterday we felt it first hand.  Now this particular item did NOT happen to be on my bucket list, however such is life.  

Oklahoma had a fairly significant earthquake the previous day . . .  and last night our third floor hotel room felt like it had been hit by a plane,  a closed door swung open and the TV wobbled . . . needless to say it was all rather scary and not ever having been in this situation before, a little frightening.  Nothing serious happened, however we were also on tornado watch . . . and there was one wicked storm of blowing wind, thunder, lightning and sheets of rain. 

Just served to remind me that there is nothing like the force of nature, and to give me first hand experience how terrifying it must be for people when they are in an earthquake of huge magnitude.  I always call that the empathy factor.  I can only imagine how it must have been for the Japanese.


We are now in Amarillo, Texas and I am still sick.  Our accommodations have been very comfortable and the beds divine.  Thanks goodness I am at least sleeping well . . just need more of it.

Southernisms . .

I just love how the South phrases things . .. some delicate and some not so delicate.  This morning I spied this in the garden next to our hotel.  Enough said.

6,000 miles (or so) and still driving . . .

The border

Tonight we arrived in Little Rock, Arkansas . . .and we estimate we have traveled 6,000 miles since the middle of September . . .that's a lot of highway. 

We entered Arkansas at the middle of the bridge over the Mississippi River.  Don't normally take photos from a moving vehicle, but my sister does and she says that it is  worth a try as some turn out . . so this one is for the record.  

Detail

Not that I am determined or anything, but this morning before we left Nashville, I had to go back to the Parthenon . . I may never get to see the real one, so this became a high priority for me.  Of course the ugly tenting was still up which for me is a complete eyesore .. however I did try to work around it.  People use the park a lot and engagement photos were being taken as we were there, so I am lucky to get photos without hordes of peoples in them, and that was at 9:00 a.m. on a Sunday.

Column Detail

After all this we headed to Little Rock and ended up driving through Memphis.  We were going to stop in at Graceland but Lynn figured they wanted too much for parking etc., when all we wanted to do was take a photo of the exterior and the grounds, so that was a no go.


Sooo, a little over half way through this journey and a whole lot of confined vehicle time and a whole lot more photos, just thought I would let y'all know that we are doing well.  

The only irritant has been Mrs. Garmin . . . I think she might have to go . . . Lynn told me today, that when she was talking, I was not to . . . and then he will still argue with both of us . . . sooooo, I just wait for the "recalculating" message and give him the look . . . "I told you so!!!"


Such are the tales of a road trip . . . it has been truly wonderful to share these memories with my husband of 42 years.

Nashville . . .

One of the many musical instruments
outside the Grand Ole Opry

What a gorgeous autumn day.  It wouldn't be right to be in Nashville without paying a visit to the Grand Ole Opry . . . however it was closed for tours, so we just poked around the grounds.  Would love to have been inside, but such is life .. I guess they didn't know we were coming.  Possibly we will go to the museum tomorrow.

Walking up to the estate

After some reading, we realized that the 7th President. Andrew Jackson, had come from this area and his family home was quite close to where we are staying.  I have to admit that I knew very little about this President, however, in view of the fact that this whole journey has been about history, we decided to pay the Hermitage a visit and to learn more about the man and his life.

He had the nickname of Old Hickory, fought in the Revolutionary War, slayed a man in a duel of honour, stood up to South Carolina during the Nullification crises (setting the stage for Abraham Lincoln to cite this as precedent when it came to secession), relocated thousands of Native Americans to make room for white settlers and was a slaveholder.  Quite a colourful character actually.

He always viewed himself as a farmer, not as a Plantation owner, even though he owned up to 150 slaves.  Historians acknowledge his protection of popular democracy and individual liberty for United States citizens, and sometimes criticize him for his support for slavery and for his role in Indian removal.  He is also viewed as the founder of the Democratic Party because of his views on the protection of democracy.

The Hermitage

 Later in the day we went to visit the State Capitol buildings and chatted with some lovely folks who told us about the Parthenon.  It is an exact replica of the one in Greece, but one third in scale.  This one was amazing, so I can't imagine what the original is like.  There was a gala event going on and some lighting effects happening so the photo opportunity wasn't that great.  We did, however, meet and chat with a lovely man, Nick from Pennsylvania.  What a pleasure it was to spend some time with him.  It is just so easy to talk with people when you share the same passion . . he has a Canon Mark 5D.

Walking up to the Parthenon, we came upon this spectacular burst of colour.

Tomorrow we will drive the back roads to Memphis . . . the countryside here is reputed to be spectacular.

Autumn Splendour

Nashville's Parthenon

Heading Westward . . .

. . . the journey westward has begun.  Today was rather gloomy, foggy, misty and rainy in Asheville.  

We drove through the Smoky Mountains today . . the foliage, although past its prime, was still very colourful.  Stopped at one of the pullouts and the Master Painter presented me with this vista.  Everything was shrouded in cloud/fog/mist except for the brilliant green grass waaay down.  It was sparkling like a jewel and just the perfect timing  . . . a few minutes later the ray of sun was gone.

The sun peeking through

The Old Mill

We went through Gatlinburg, Tennessee which we were surprised to find very commercialized.  The streets were teeming with people and it reminded me of Banff, Alberta.  

Onward to Pigeon Forge . . the name is so quaint that we drove through it, not around it.  Spotted this Old Mill . . .. gorgeous.  The water wheel was not in working order, and the mill has been converted to a restaurant which is doing a roaring business.  By this time it was getting late so we forged on ahead to Nashville.  Sooo, here we are in Nashville, Tennessee . . having to pinch myself once again . . never, ever thought we would be here.  Thinking we will pay a visit to the Grand 'Ol Opry . . . after all it is here and so are we, and legendary at that.

Still feeling crappy!

The Biltmore . . .

View from the garden area

The stables

. . . we went today.  Until you see it in real life you just cannot imagine how massive this castle is . . and it is a castle in all senses of the word, even though it is only 4 stories high, it covers 4 acres of land . .. that is just the house.  The exterior is more of a French style, whilst the inside is definitely British with dark heavily carved furniture, tapestry on the walls, mulititudes of photographs, and of course very high ceilings and a very grand staircase.  You are not allowed to take photos inside, so in a sense nothing has changed . . they are still robber barons!  (They want you to buy their books and things!!!) 

George Vanderbilt made his millions in railways . . . he inherited millions and doubled the size of the family fortune in a very short time.  He lived in the Gilded Age and his contemporaries were the Flaglers, the Astors and all the movers and shakers of the day.  


The stable area has now been turned into quite fine dining and I must say those horses had very posh surroundings.   I had the most delicious carrot and ginger soup along with fried green tomatoes.  Lynn had brie with ham, apples and caramel sauce.  The Estate has  always been self sustaining and that policy continues to this day.  Everything served is grown on the Estate, which is now only 8,000 acres . . I haven't figured out how many sections that is yet.


A lot of it is wooded, but it is still a working farm and hay bales were laying in the fields waiting to be picked up.  The windy trek up the mountain to the gates is 3 miles and very beautiful.  We were probably a week or two late to see the prime of the autumn colours, but there was still enough foliage left to get a general idea.

Peeking through the lattice work

The gardens are incredible and were designed by the same man who designed Central Park.  We only saw one of the gardens, and there are three or four more that one could visit, however I was doing well to cover what I did, considering that I still feel awful.


Frost has taken its toll and the mums and flowers were definitely past their prime . . .. I hear it is spectacular in the spring when the tulips are all blooming.  That would be a feast for the eyes.

The Conservatory

Being a self-sustaining Estate, they have their own greenhouses, or Conservatory as they call it.  We were very lucky and happened to see everything in readiness for Christmas . . .the grand unfolding to be Saturday, which in my mind would be a good day NOT to be there.  During the Christmas Season they also offer Candlelight tours which would be lovely.  

In the distance you can see the Blue Ridge Mountains

One could spend a very long time taking it all in . . . there was so much attention to detail and considering that it was finished in 1895, in a league of its own, and well ahead of its time, having 43 bathrooms at a time when most grand homes didn't have even one.


That is the Reader's Digest version of how we spent our day today.

Asheville, North Carolina

Upside Down . .

. . . the home of the Biltmore Estate which from all my years of watching America's Greatest Castles on History TV has been on my bucket list for a looooong time.  Wouldn't ya know it, I am sicker than a dawg.  Spent most of the day in bed trying to get up enough energy to go pay a visit, and decided it just wasn't going to happen.  Hopefully tomorrow.  My lungs are my weakest link, so here we go again . . this just happens way too often for my liking and at the most inconvenient times.  We did go out for a bit of a drive just so that I could get some fresh air and take a few photos . . literally a few, but I am back in bed hoping to go to the Estate tomorrow.  This is one of the photos I took today . . I am going to name it Upside Down as that is what it looks like, but the gorgeous sky is actually a reflection . . the trees were so dark in colour that I couldn't get a properly exposed photo any other way.

We have seen many vistas like this . . .just loving the gorgeous colours of autumn.   The greenery appears to be some sort of ivy and seems to grow from the ground up and attach itself to the existing trees.  The carpet of fallen leaves is so pretty and when you walk in it it is about 6 inches deep.

Blue Ridge Parkway . . .

Now I know why it is called blue

. . . another item from my bucket list . . to drive the Blue Ridge Parkway during the autumn.  We are probably a week late, but nevertheless, it was pretty spectacular and everything I expected it to be.  Saw a fair amount of wildlife the higher we got into the mountains.  The road reminded me of the Road to Hana in Hawaii, minus the bridges.  Speed limit 45 miles per hour . . I personally thought that a good deal of the time that was a little on the fast side!!!   Soooo, the 82 miles from Boone to Asheville took several hours . . of course there were many photo ops along the way.

I see you . .

This little fellow was certainly eyeing me up and I had to sneak up to get this photo.  First time I have seen one on this journey that wasn't actually road kill!!

So now the Daniel Boone saga has more meaning . . this area is part of what he explored.

Duke Chapel . . .

Exterior splendour

This morning before we left Durham, NC we stopped in to see the majestic chapel at Duke University.  It did not disappoint.  What a magnificent structure . . it is part of the campus and I have never been on a campus that was so quiet.  Students and faculty quietly walking and talking in hushed tones.  It was truly amazing.

Inside the chapel . .

Mount Everest . . .

Lynn leading the way

. . . that's what I feel like I did today . . . we climbed to the top of the sand dunes on the Grand Outer Banks near Kitty Hawk where you could see water on both sides of you.  It was a tough slog, especially through soft sand, but I was determined to conquer my mountain.  

I have a whole new respect for Moses now after wandering around in the desert for 40 years . . . . that's all I have to say about that!

Shaking Head . . .

Never thought we would make it to the Grand Outer Banks, but here we are, although the weather could have been nicer for us.  Thought I should at least go up the sand dunes and take some photos to record the fact that we were actually there.  Took some photos of the ocean through the tall grasses for my sister who loves those kind of vistas.  Then, as for all photographers, after you have taken your first few shots, look behind you and see what there is to see.  

They are gonna get sick . . mark my words

I couldn't believe it . . here are two insane people running around on the beach in bitterly cold and windy weather . . I mean it was snowing just a bit up the coast.  Sure they had wet suits on . .. but if you look closely, bare feet, bare hands, bare heads and WET hair.  Really, I couldn't believe it.  They must be of Viking stock or something as guess what . . they were the ONLY two on the beach and in the water.

Geography . . . and Kitty Hawk

Memorial to the Wright Brothers

A road trip certainly puts your geographic skills to the test.   Today we visited Kitty Hawk.  

Now I know all about the Wright Brothers and Kitty Hawk and all that stuff, but somehow, I must have thought Kitty Hawk was in Ohio.  Imagine my surprise when planning today's segment of the journey, that we would be going right through Kitty Hawk . .  what . . well guess what . . the boys did their test flights from the Grand Outer Banks just off the coast of North Carolina because of the prevailing winds from the Atlantic to get loft for the wings and the sand dunes provided a softer landing for the test flights.  Soooo, today we saw, yet again, with our own eyes where history took place.

Amazing what you can learn when you are on a road trip.

Out of my comfort zone . ..

. . . parasailing that is . .. until I did it.  It was magical . . ...  a beautiful sunny day with no breeze, Tammy treated us to this adventure.    Just to make sure that everyone knew it was the real deal she came along and photographed the whole thing.

Cool sunglasses and reflections

The boat driver was so skilled he could land you on a dime.  He just dipped our toes in the ocean which was so warm it was like bath water.  Truly amazing.

Yep, that's our boat down there . . I have no idea how high up we were . .  at any rate it was heavenly.  The shadow of the parachute at the bottom of the photo is us and the rope is all that is keeping us tethered to the boat.  Waaaaay up . . . felt like we were birds in the sky

Coming in to land . . 

Coming in to land on the back of the boat was as smooth as they come.  

And yes I did take my camera (little one) up with me . . this was too big an occasion not to record, and my camera does go with me everywhere.  

Soooo, Elsie and Val . ... this is just to show that we did do it!!!  Annnnnd, I would highly recommend it.

Honking Horns . . .

After our visit to Washington, DC Lynn has come up with a new theory.  People honk horns at intersections "just because".  We have never heard so much horn honking in all our life . . .and coming from where we come from, a honking horn is to alert you of impending danger.  Apparently here, it is to let you know they are now at the intersection as well as you, and in case you might be looking elsewhere than the light, to remind you to keep your eyes ahead.  He was REALLY irritated today by someone honking their horn at him the millisecond the light became green . . .I mean, really, for goodness sake, even I hadn't had a chance to tell him it wasn't going to get any greener.  Geeeez . . ..