6/16 - The trip to Mall of Georgia!

What started out as a shopping trip for Father's Day, ended up as a United Nations experience!

Stephanie and I planned a girl's day out and David, Don, and the boys were not included. We were going to go to the Mall of Georgia for the day! Unfortunately, we never made it!

Steph picked me up and we soon realized that the road we needed to take was a parking lot. No problem, a quick U-turn and we're on our way to the secondary road. Seems everyone else had that idea, too. Quick turn down a street and......WE'RE LOST! LOL

We decided to go to Gwinnett Place Mall instead. No problem! Get on the right interstate and get off at the exit.....problem! No left turn and no other way into the Mall. SOoooooooo-----quick U-turn on the on-ramp and we get into the mall! Finally!

We went to Sears first to get Don's gift! All three of the people who waited on us had different accents. Great to hear them. I noticed everyone in the mall was different from us. No scared, just intrigued. Steph said the area is very diverse because of school and technology groups.

Off to lunch.....no problem! Except the restaurant isn't open on Saturdays. Now what to do with picky eater MOM! She (me) decides a Chinese restaurant would be ok. The food was good, but the waitress who spoke little English kept coming to the table and asking if the food tasted all right. I think she meant (hope she meant) was the meal all right and not the food! LOL

Steph decided to pit stop before we headed out again. She didn't come back and she didn't come back and she didn't come back. Finally! She's back. Turns out when you visit the restrooms, the door signs are Hawaiian! Also there are six other doors back there. When she came out of the restroom, she couldn't find the right door back into the restaurant. Glad she told me to look out or I'd never made it back either!

We headed back to the house where Lensey and Adam were to meet us. They came over to celebrate Father's Day with David. Good to see them!

Uneventful evening....just more rain! LOL

See ya down the road!

Jenny :)

6/15 - The trip around Stone Mountain

A quacker or two?

Trey driving the Duck Boat!

Patrick and the surprise at Stony Fountain

Trey and Stony Fountain

David and the woman at Stone Mountain Park Village!

Janice arrived about the same time Steph and the boys did. She looks great! She has breast cancer and her hair is growing back in and looks great!

We headed out to the park! Steph and the boys have season passes for most attractions - except the ones we chose today! LOL We wanted to ride the Duck Boats. We'd ridden them in Boston and enjoyed it and thought the boys would, too. Well, one of them did!

Patrick was tired and didn't want to wear his life jacket. He was tired and didn't want a nap, but Stephanie prevailed and he ended up going to sleep with the life jacket on just as we got underway. Normally when they ride the Duck Boat into the water, it's slow and controlled, but not today. The driver hit the water at "full" speed. Kind of like riding a log ride! Patrick got drenched. He looked at his mother like she'd really ticked him off! Steph got a picture of him and then started laughing! She said she knew what Don was looking at when she got mad at him! Trey got to drive the boat and was thrilled.

Before we got on the boat, they gave each of us a quacker kazoo and we had instructions to quack at certain times and we did it well! The driver told one story where there was a wedding going on in the park and they all quacked at the bride. He said she was so thrilled she cried! LOL

After the boat it was on to the skylift. Trey really wanted to do this. Mimi didn't, but she did. David had command of Fearless Boy (aka Patrick) who was RUNNING down the mountain to the fence. What a day! LOL

When we got back down, David was walking along quacking his duck whistle - QUACK! QUACK! Patrick was about 3-4 steps behind him and would QUACK! QUACK! after PawPaw. People were really laughing at the two of them!

We got back to the village and David was "accosted" by a woman! Everytime we've gone to a theme park, he usually gets dragged into some sort of production and today was no different. It was really funny!

They have a fountain there called Stony Jackson and during the day it "speaks" to people and sprays water on them. Trey loved it and got soaked. I almost did until David pointed out where to stand (where it wasn't wet! DUH!). Patrick woke up from his nap in the stroller and wandered over to where we were - just about the time "Stony" got him in the back! He was less than thrilled!

All too soon it was time for everyone to go and Janice headed back to Macon and Steph and the boys headed home. We walked in the campground and met Jimmy and Pat Culpepper. He was a coach at Georgia Tech one time and a recently retired high school coach in Georgia. We had a great time talking to them.

Dinner and off to bed. Still raining every night!

See ya down the road!

Jenny :)

6/14 - Watkinsville, GA

Trey and Chrissy tangled up while exploring!

Chrissy and Patrick exploring the rocks at the campground at Stone Mountain!

My sister and her husband live in Watkinsville, GA (just outside Athens). My mother is staying with her while we travel. My sister and her husband left the country for a week so my brother is staying at my sister's house with my mother. Need a scorecard so far? I DO! LOL

Stephanie and the boys picked us up at the campground for the hour or so ride to my sister's house. Chrissy went with us. She normally naps while we ride, but not today! There were little boys to play with in the van and daddy was holding me back! She didn't take a nap - neither did Patrick or Trey!

We got to my sister's house and greeted the family. Mama looked great and Jeff was busy painting downstairs. We brought out laundry with us, so I started doing laundry. Mama had lunch almost ready and it was great when we finally ate lunch.

The sprinklers came on (watered from the lake out back). The first set water everything near the porch. Chrissy was off her leash and having the time of her life running back and forth in the sprinklers! Wish I'd brought my camera! They boys played in the second set of sprinklers out in the yard. Didn't bring extra clothes, but it's hot and they'll dry soon. Still no naps for anyone!

Spent the afternoon doing laundry and nothing! LOL Soon it was time to head back. Surely someone will take a nap now - NO WAY!

Chrissy was still excited! Patrick and Trey were wound up, too! NO NAPS! Back to the campground we go and the boys want to explore! We went exploring around the campground and found big rocks and sand to play in. I don't know which of the 3 had more fun!

Still no naps......

Steph and the boys decide to head home for dinner and we went in. I put Chrissy on the couch next to me and she promptly went to sleep! Didn't move all evening. Didn't eat either! I got ready for bed and picked her up to take her to bed. She was absolutely limp and never moved. Looked closely to see if she was still breathing! She didn't move all night! Poor baby was tired! LOL

Tomorrow David's sister is coming up from Gray, GA to spend the day with us. We're looking forward to seeing her and the park!

See ya down the road!

Jenny :)

6/13 - On to Stone Mountain, GA

Chrissy in her squirrel dog pose. Too short and slow to catch one!

About 250 miles to go today so we left Mooresville early. Fortunately, our route took us away from Mooresville and the traffic. We also got to by-pass Charlotte. Traffic not a problem!

Gas is now below $3.00 per gallon! BIG YEA!

We stopped for a break at a Pilot Truckstop that had an Arby's. We pulled in and parked and noticed several police cars next to us. Then we noticed a young man in handcuffs!

We went inside to get something to drink. While waiting in line, one of the police came inside and was looking around. I asked him if he needed us to move and he said we were ok. He talked to the manager and explained they were taking the guy away and the real owner of the car would be there in about an hour to pick up his car. He said the other 2 people in the car would wait inside the Arby's until their ride came in about an hour. He also explained that he'd told them if they caused ANY trouble, he'd be back and have a place for them to stay!

Rest of the day was uneventful. Got to Stone Mountain and got checked in! Steph and the boys met us at the campground and it was good to see them!

Plans were made to see the park with them the next day! Rain again! Hope it follows us home!

See ya down the road!

Jenny :)

6/12 - Mooresville - The Race Shop Tours

Amy and PJ from Race Shop Tours

David, PJ, and Matt Kensenth at Roush Racing

Matt Kenseth's Killer Bee's in Action!

Gordon and Johnson's cars

Junior's Racing Shop

Jenny and Junior

Jenny outside Roush Racing fountain

Mark Martin's car ready for next race.

Ginn Racing - new home for Mark Martin

They guy in gray is Chad Knause (Crew Chief for Jimmy Johnson) and the guy in the light blue is Steve Letart (Jeff Gordon's Crew Chief).

Hendrick Wall of Trophies

Joe Gibbs Racing

Gibbs Racing Mission Statement

Tony Stewart's car being readied at Joe Gibbs Racing

Carl Edwards car at Roush-Fenway Racing

Dale Sr. car at DEI Museum

Bud cars at DEI museum

We met Amy and PJ of Race Shop Tours at 8:30 a.m. outside Bob Evans Restaurant. Another couple was on our tour, Carols and Beth. We had opted for the Southern Tour, so we headed out!

I should have written down the order of the shops we visited, but I didn't so they've all run together now.

On our visit to Joe Gibbs Racing we saw the Gibbs cars being prepared for upcoming races. The shop floors are immaculate. Everyone is friendly and waves back. Sometimes the workers also speak to those on tour. Amy our guide knew most of them, so we got a lot of conversation.

In each shop, you pick up driver cards. The cards have the driver's picture, sponsor, and info about the driver and team. After visiting 10+ shops, I have a LOT of card! LOL

We visited Hendrick Motorsports where we got to see the two major crew chiefs on the floor and also walking out of the building. They really have nice displays for the fans.

Also on the tour was Roush Racing - now Roush-Fenway Racing. They have several shops and we saw three of theirs.

Michael Waltrip has a shop, but we didn't get to see it as it takes about two hours to see it all.

We stopped for lunch and saw some of the Penske crew. They were all exceptionally nice!

We visited Penske racing and WOW! It's huge and extremely clean! Lots of workers everywhere, cars everywhere, and pictures everywhere. Penske has the largest shop around.

We passed Jeff Hammond's PIT CREW School. It's also huge. Didn't get to visit there.

We went to Dale Jr.'s shop and came face-to-face with Dale, Jr! Sort of.....he has a wax figure of himself complete with stubble! I had my picture made with it and had it moved a fraction of an inch, I'd have freaked! We were talking with the young woman behind the counter and she told us it was lucky we came today. She told us that Dale would be holding a news conference there tomorrow morning and would tell everyone where he'd be going. She didn't know and only knew she didn't have to come to work the next day until 1:00 p.m. We learned a little later in the day that Dale would be going to Hendrick Motorsports! WOW! What timing!

We toured a few other shops and ended the day at the North Carolina Speed Hall of Fame. Soon it was time to head back!

Our tour guides dropped us back at our vehicle and ended a great day! GOOD JOB! We highly recommend taking the tour.

Back at the campground and another serious electrical/rain storm. Cooled everything off!

See ya down the road!

Jenny :)

6/11 - More fun in Mooresville!

We're camped along Lake Norman where a lot of the race car drivers live! Not any of them are close to us where we are. Bummer!

We received a DVD from Mooresville that gave info on what to do, shopping, etc. It showed neat little shops in downtown Mooresville so off we went! The two major streets in downtown are Broad and Main. A railroad track separates the two streets. The cute little shops we saw in the DVD weren't there! There were a lot of shops, but not any we care to do into. We turned down Broad Street and passed a cute ice cream shop. A nice looking older gentleman was coming out of the shop enjoying a cone. I kept thinking I'd seen him before.....and I had - Dale Jarrett! Missed that one.

We went to the Hampton Inn to use their internet. Nice to know you can stop in to use it and not be charged there!

Headed back to the campground and watched some tv, movies, etc. Early dinner as we have to be at Bob Evans Restaurant by 8:00 a.m. in the morning for our Race Shop Tour.

Fantastic electrical storm again tonight -2 nights in a row!

See ya down the road!

Jenny :)

6/10 - Mooresville, NC - RACE CITY USA

We decided to visit a local church before leaving Greensboro and went to Sharpe Road Baptist Church. Their regular pastor was gone to the Convention, but the guy filling in did a great job. We got on the road headed for Mooresville!

Just outside Winston-Salem we stopped at a Cracker Barrel for lunch. The wait was 45-50 minutes and they were packed. We went ahead and put our name on the list, but I had a brilliant idea! We placed a "to-go" order and ate in the RV. It took about 15 minutes to get our food. By the time we finished and we ready to go, it was about the time our table would have been ready! Wasn't I smart! LOL

No problems getting to Mooresville except the transmissions getting worse. It's heating up and not wanting to shift right in first and second now. Glad the campground is close. In keeping with our water theme, were camped on Lake Norman and it's beautiful. There are HUGE houses and BIGGER boats here! The campground is older and has lots of permanent RV's, but it's not bad. We're close to the water and the ducks.

David was outside when a car pulled up. I noticed he and the guy were talking a good bit. Then he and his wife were at our door. They wanted to see the Airstream. Can't tell you the number of times we've done that to people so we didn't mind at all. Gordon and Rita are from Mooresville and thinking of buying an Airstream. They talked for awhile and then we all went to eat at Capt. Pete's across the highway. Had a great time and they were a great couple. Glad we got to meet you and hope you get your Airstream soon!

We watched a little TV and off to bed! Visiting Mooresville on Monday and hope to do the race shop tours on Tuesday!

See ya down the road!

Jenny :)

6/9 - Mount Airy, NC - Home of Mayberry!

Mayor of Mayberry. Note the length of David's hair - or rather - lack of length of David's hair!

Stern Barney and David! Told you David's hair was REALLY short!

Just a trim, please! David getting hair cut at Floyd's Barbershop

Waiting in line for lunch at the Snappy Lunch Counter.

Pilot Mountain (referred to in Andy Griffith Show as Mt. Pilot)

Mayberry police car and jail.

Barney with his one bullet.

Barney and the bikers.

We headed out early for Mt. Airy. It's about an hour away from where we are and a quick one as it's mostly interstate.

We got to Main Street about 10:30 a.m. and headed straight for the Snappy Lunch Counter for a pork chop sandwich. We've been here before know it's a small place and fills up quickly. By the time we finished lunch, it was beginning to get crowded. Please pray for Mrs. Easter. She's the mother of our waitress and she's in the hospital with heart problems.

We went next door to Floyd's Barbershop for a quick haircut for David. You'd think he'd learn about getting a haircut on vacation after last year in Alamagordo, New Mexico......He told the lady he just wanted a trim. I'm glad he didn't ask for anything else or he'd have no hair left! IT'S REALLY SHORT! He won't need a haircut for months!

While he was getting his hair cut, Barney came in and entertained those at Floyd's. There's some sort of biker ride going on so there were lots of bikers in town. He had his picture made with them in a group and then everyone else in the barbershop. Then the mayor came in. He asked where we were from. Everytime we ran into him in town, he'd pull us over to the owner of the shop and tell them about us. He was really a nice man.

Saw a tshirt that really made me laugh. The front read "If a tree falls in the forest...". The back read "Do the other trees laugh?". Another one read "If I had $1,000,000 I wouldn't be wearing this t-shirt!" Saw one other that I shared with my friend Deborah on the phone. She wouldn't wear it, but did find it quite funny.....had to do with bikers! 'Nough said.

We were getting ready to leave Mt. Airy after some quick shopping and saw the line at the Snappy Lunch Counter. Way deep waiting for lunch! Glad we went early!

Headed back to Greensboro to get ready to leave on Sunday!

See ya down the road!

Jenny :)

June 6,7,8, - Greensboro, NC

The day started out normally enough. Sunny and cool and a little windy. Stopped for lunch in Tight Squeeze, Va, not toooo far from South Boston, VA where Jeff and Ward Burton are from (NASCAR if you're thinking who the Burton Boys are!).

We crossed over into North Carolina about 12:30 p.m. and it wasn't far to the campground--or at least it shouldn't have been far. The directions on MapQuest and in the campground directory weren't the best. You have 40/85 running together and apart in Greensboro and to further confuse you, there's BUS 40 and BUS 85. Crazy. We eventually found the campground. It's an old KOA that's and urban campground now. That means, RV's and trailers that will never move again and lots of construction workers. It's the only one around, so it's "ok."

David has a job in Burlington, NC on Thursday and Friday so this is close enough for him to drive back and forth. He asked where Walmart was and was given a two page printed sheet of area locations. Only problem is, you can't get to any of them from the directions! We tried going several places listed and NEVER got there. Finally gave us. I called Stephanie and she told me Panera Bread had wi-fi and we found it. Stopped in for a couple of hours to check mail and update the blog somewhat. It was SO hot in there! Turned out we were sitting near the oven! We bought some bread for supper and it should have been registered as a deadly weapon. It was Italian bread and hard as a rock! Tasted good if you could ever bit it.

Later that evening, I saw Carl and Mary Jane pull in! They hadn't planned to stay at that campground, so we went over to see what had happened. They had bad directions to their campground and another didn't have space for them. They found the one we were in by luck! LOL Mary Jane and I talked until our husbands called us in for dinner! LOL Hope you reach home safely!

Chrissy has turned into a picky eater like her mom. She's decided brunch and late evening are now her meals of choice. She's even taken to moving her food out of the bowl and lining it up and then eating the pieces she likes. Crazy dog!

Thursday was a quiet day. David went to work and I worked on craft projects for Campers on Mission. I cut out about 100 fun foam door hangers and worked on some beaded bracelets. I need more supplies, so I hope we find Walmart soon.

Chrissy and I met a one year old dachshund who looks just like Chrissy. Apparently Lucy thought Chrissy was the dominant dog as she rolled right over when Chrissy walked up! After that Chrissy sat down and ignored Lucy! She and I headed home as it was about time for David.

David arrived back home and we had a quiet dinner, some TV, reading, etc.

Friday - David had back to work, but it should be a short day for him. Chrissy and I walked and she decided she was a squirrel dog! She's yelping and pointing and trying to climb the tree the squirrel went up. No luck, though.

David got in early and we got ready for dinner. We're meeting our friends Eddie and Susan Gazaway in Burlington. Eddie's sister, Judy, is also coming. I've never met Susan, but had heard lots of great things about her. She and Eddie have been married a little over a year now. David and Eddie went to high school together. He and Susan live in Raleigh. We met for dinner at Outback and had a great time.

Saturday - Laundry Day - what an experience! The laundry room is just off the office and has 4 washers and 4 dryers. We had 3 loads of laundry so were reading while the washing was going on. One of the ladies running the campground came over to the sink and started cleaning something with AMMONIA! The room was small and I couldn't take the smell so I fled! I don't know what she was thinking! I started reading in the large room and got up to check the laundry. When I came back, some guy had my stuff I was reading! Not my day! Anyway, we have clean clothes and towels again! Light evening and one more day here!

Saturday - Mt. Airy! On to another blog day!

See ya down the road!

Jenny :)

6/5 - The end of the war - Appomatox

Private Frakes of Pennsylvania and Miss Hicks of Apppomatox, VA.

McLean House where Lee surrendered to Grant.

Quite a morning getting here! For some STRANGE reason, Mapquest routed us through the mountains on curvy, ONE LANE (sometimes!) roads. We actually went through a one lane tunnel that required you to blow your horn! SCARED ME! David wasn't happy with my screaming. I learned to stuff a fist in my mouth instead of screaming! LOL

We eventually got to the campground in the big city of Spout Spring, VA. We met a nice couple, Carl and Mary Jane from Oklahoma and spent part of the evening talking with them. They're headed out tomorrow, also.

We drove over to Appomattox to the Courthouse. It's now a National Park. Had a DUH! moment in the visitor's center. Just as they had at Gettysburg, there are lots of photos of Civil War soldiers and their stories. I got to noticing that one was gray, one was blue, one was gray, one was blue....etc. Finally reached my brain that the gray ones were from the South and the blue ones were from the North! DUH! I think I had too much blonde added to my hair last time!

We were told by the ranger that at 3:20 p.m. a living history tour would take place at the residence behind the visitor's center. Private Frakes from Pennsylvania who was now the provost would talk with us about the end of the war. We were reminded that he would not know about anything in the present so don't ask him about restaurants, places to see, etc. Also, we could not ask to take his picture as he would think we meant to "lift" his picture from the wall and take it.

At 3:20 p.m., the ranger led us to the sty separating the two houses. She asked permission of a young man if we could cross over and speak with him. He was very cordial and asked us over. After introductions about where we were from, he asked if anyone had news of Richmond. He knew the people were starving and wanted to know if they had received help yet. We had to tell him we had no word either.

He and Miss Hicks were well prepared for their presentations. They made you believe they really existed during the War and were present for the surrender. Pvt. Frakes has been appointed sheriff, but wants to go home to marry his girl in Pennsylvania. He told us how the war ended "officially" at Appomattox, but many more died until word reached the rest of the country.

At the end of his presentation he asked for questions. People who had joined us who didn't know to keep in character didn't quite get answers they were looking for. Most of the people had wandered off when I decided to "play along." I told Pvt. Frakes that I had a new invention of Mr. Matthew Brady and could I take his likeness with it and that of Miss Hicks. Both were agreeable and I got the shot above of the two of them.

We stopped in the bookstore to find a new book to read. I picked up a bio on Gen. Lee - "Gray Fox." I paid for it and postcards (yes, I've finally mailed 30+ postcards!). David was standing in line with the exact same book. I should have told him to get one on Grant and we could have read both sides of the story.

Back to the campground and dinner. Not to exciting here. No Internet, no cable, few TV stations. Books to read, though!

We said goodbye to Carl and Mary Jane. Carl told us he'd see us down the road!

See ya down the road!

Jenny :)

6/4 - Luray Caverns, VA

Running for mama!

Chrissy the flying dog!

Before we left the campground at Gettysburg, a man named Gary Overstreet came over to our campsite. He was parked behind us and is also from Alabama. He's from Bay Minette, Alabama.

It wasn't a long day's drive, but it was in the mountains, so we left about 10:00 a.m. in the rain (remnants of Barry!).

It stopped raining after we'd been gone about an hour and the sun came out. Yea!

We reached our campground and overshot it. About the time we saw the sign, David realized there was a narrow bridge AND a school bus crossing it about the same time we were coming across it. We rode into town and turned around to make the turn into the campground.

I was shocked when we pulled up! Looked like we were going to be parked behind someone's house. But no...we were directed up the hill after we registered. At the top of the hill was one of the nicest RV parks I've ever seen. View of the mountains all around us, large spots, and an HUGE open area in the middle. A couple from Switzerland had just opened it. There were no plans to build any spots in the meadow. There is a small pavilion where they hope to have music and they were in the process of adding a small pond.

We took Chrissy out to the meadow and took her off leash. She had her rope so we played throw until she couldn't run anymore (about 10 minutes!). She was so funny! Another camper pulled in. There were two daughters and a dog! Chrissy was thrilled because she had a new playmate. Good for another 10 minutes and both of them gave out!

If we have the chance, we'll come back to this campground!

Turned out we didn't go to the caverns as we had laundry to do. The laundry facilities were all new and did a great job. They had wireless Internet there, but the signal was weak (that's why I'm behind on the blog!).

We turned in early and got ready to the ride to the end of the Civil War - Appomattox!

See ya down the road!

Jenny :)

6/3 - Gettysburg, PA - our tour guide Barry!

Louisiana Memorial

Statue that scared Chrissy!

Cemetery at Gettysburg

Lincoln Memorial at Gettysburg - spot where Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address.

Alabama memorial at Gettysburg

Before I forget....2 things

1. We passed a white Statue of Liberty in the middle of the Susquehanna River. Strange!

2. We've been listening to Three Dog Night - 35th Anniversary. David now serenades with me "Old Fashioned Love Song."

It's a bit drizzly and rainy here, but we decided to head out anyway. Good choice!

We went first to the Visitor's Center because that's where our CD told us to go. They're building a new one and it's sorely needed. There's much disrepair to the facilities and the exhibits are worn and defaced. We took a quick tour of the cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial before getting back in the truck to do the two hour audio tour. It's now about 10:30 a.m.

The first stop is about a half mile from our campground. Union markers are square at the base and Confederate markers are round at the base. Line markers are two different colors. It's important to know that because there are hundreds of them in the park! You could spend days just visiting markers from one side or the other.

It's raining a little harder now and it's VERY windy, but we travel on with our guide - HURRICANE BARRY! So kind of him to join us! LOL

We stop along the drive and take quick photos as it's raining too hard to really get out. We pulled up along a statue of someone (didn't see the name!). Chrissy was in the truck with us and she chose this point to bark at the statue. She apparently thought it was a real person trying to get her mama!

We pulled into a rest area to get a photo of General Longstreet. Didn't take me long to look at it as it was freaky! It was pouring down rain and he looked absolutely disgusted that he was standing there in it!

It's now after lunch and we're still on the two hour auto tour. We've seen memorials from almost every state! New York has the lead for the number of memorials. The one that really got me was one from Louisiana. It was added to the park in 1971. It features a fallen soldier with a female standing over him with a cannon ball in her hand. It's sort of art deco so I decided to risk getting wet and grabbing a quick shot. Someone had place a yellow rose on his heart. It was heart breaking to look at it. Apparently so that David didn't see me motion that I was walking over to the Mississippi memorial to get a photo there. I get the photo and I'm standing in the road motioning for him to move the truck up to get me as I'm really getting wet. He doesn't see me until he puts down the dog which he's been playing with! Really, who's more important....me or the dog! LOL I'm not really gonna ask him that one!

It's now about 3 p.m. into the 2 hour tour. We'd seen a sign that pointed us off to a 3 hour tour. The only thing going through my mind at that point was "A 3 hour tour....the weather started getting rough...." you know the rest. I looked at David and he looked at me and we decided we'd seen enough of the battle of Gettysburg. It's really overwhelming and listening to the CD made it more so. It had sounds of battle and very vivid descriptions of what happened.

Back to the campground for an early dinner and a night of rain!

See ya down the road!

Jenny :)

6/2 - On to Gettysburg or the REALLY long day!

Before I forget:

We saw the last of the Great Lakes - Erie!

I've learned you CANNOT do a drive around the lakes. There is mostly no road along the lakes! Some of the lakes have mountains that go right down into the water! What we did see was beautiful.

We didn't take an official tour of Niagara Falls - it was $170 plus tax in Canadian dollars for a couple! I can create my own tour a lot cheaper (and did!).

We pulled out at 8:07 a.m. from Niagara Falls, NY driving to Gettysburg, PA, about 375 miles. It was sunny and warm (that's a switch!).

We finally got onto the NY State Throughway (toll road). It was only $4.15! Shocker!

We reached Pennsylvania at 11:57 a.m. Just in time for lunch! The welcome center at Tioga, PA is absolutely beautiful with a view that was tremendous. Where was my camera!

Stopped for gas in Pennsylvania - $2.959 and 27.092 gallons.

Late in the afternoon it began to warm up. We saw one sign that said it was 94 degrees. We turned on the AC in the truck because Chrissy was getting warm. It caused the transmission to act up more and pulling through the mountains got harder. We got into Gettysburg, but got stopped at every red light in town. Finally got to the campground around 5 p.m. or so and started to our spot.

A guy walking across the campground stopped us and asked us what spot we were in. David told and he asked us how did they tell us to get there. David showed him what the girl in the office had given him. We thought the guy was just a "helpful" camper. Turned out he owned the place. He told us a different way to get to our spot. Good thing as there was a major tree blocking the way we would have gone!

Turned in early as we're a bit tired! Off to the battlefield in the morning!

See ya down the road!

Jenny :)

6/1 - Last day at the Falls

Canadian Falls from the US side.

American Falls from the US side.

It's raining....a little, but we decided to head out anyway. You get wet at the Falls, so if it's raining, so what! LOL

We got to the Falls and paid $10 to park. Walked a few blocks through a beautiful garden and there they were. We could hear them long before we saw them. We walked along the rapids for a bit. Glad you can't fall in! It's fast!

There must have been 10 bus loads of kids at the Falls and the park! Every time they stopped on their tour, we went around them. Managed to stay out of their way most of the morning.

The Falls are great, but really are better viewed from the Canadian side. Still it was exciting to get as close as you can from the US side.

We stopped for lunch at the Restaurant at the Top of the Falls. We had a great waiter named John. He and a friend are getting ready to travel the US filming a web TV show. Good luck, John! Let us know when you get to Alabama!

back to the RV for a nap! It was worth about 2 hours, which for me is a LONG nap! Then it was time for errands.

I needed to refill two prescriptions so we headed to Wal-Mart. It took about an hour to get it done and let's say I won't be going back to that Wal-Mart store EVER! It was more of an experience than I can say here!

Off to the grocery store and it was much quieter and calmer! I enjoy looking at the different foods that we don't have at home.

David cooked Parmesan encrusted tilapia, mashed potatoes, and fresh asparagus for dinner (I actually did the asparagus). He also cooked lava cakes for dessert. It's too much for us, so he's also feeding two of our neighbors.

Stephanie called to tell us that Patrick (youngest grandson) was on the way to the ER. He tripped over his feet and his nose struck a wooden chair. She found a piece of cartilage in the floor and had the presence of mind to grab it, too! She later called to say his nose wasn't broken, and they'll scope his nose on Monday to see where the cartilage is from.

Well, I'm tired and it's late. We're off to Gettysburg tomorrow for a couple of days!

See ya down the road!

Jenny :)

5/31 - Shuffle off to Buffalo!

Our "neighbor" checking his route!

Anchor Bar - Buffalo, New York. Claim to fame is inventors of the Buffalo Wings!

We pulled out about 9:50 a.m. this morning headed for the US. We'd packed up everything so Customs and Border Protection could easily search the RV. It's in the 60's, sunny and muggy!

At 10:10 a.m. we reached the border! We had to go through the BUS section at the border, but fortunately we were the only large vehicle there. The border guard asked us our citizenship, asked for ID (we gave him our passports), and he asked what was in the RV. I answered camping equipment. He then asked if we had any food on board. We said we did and were sure we would have to get rid of potatoes (again!). He said thanks and we were free to enter! That was easy!

We got set up and headed into Buffalo to see a transmission guy about the truck. We put the truck on the computer and found an error code. It means that the torque convertor is going bad. For $295 he could drop the transmission and take a look and see what the damage is. David opted not to do that and the guys said there was no charge for what he done. We thanked him and headed to the Anchor Bar.

Anchor Bar is home to the Buffalo Wings! They were invented here. The place was packed. I'm not particularly fond of Buffalo Wings, but thoroughly enjoyed them. I'm a wimp so I didn't order the hot ones. David ordered his with spicy BBQ sauce. I tried one of his and it was a little spicy, but not too bad!

After lunch, David talked to our mechanic in Trussville about the transmission. If David takes his time and doesn't abuse the transmission, it should make it home. We are running a risk it will "go" before we get back, but it's one he's willing to take. When we get to Stone Mountain, he'll drive it back to Trussville and get it fixed and then come back to Stone Mountain. Shouldn't be too difficult to fix. Keep us in your prayers!

We've seen lots of squirrels here, but they are black. Some of the really fat ones look like black cats! LOL

Funny sign of the day: Amigone Funeral Home in Buffalo. It struck me as Am/I/GONE? Funeral Home.

Back to the campground to do laundry. No loonies except us! LOL

See ya down the road!

Jenny :)

5/30 - Niagara Falls - Day Two - Part Two

Canadian Falls with red lights. Note the full moon over the falls!

American Falls with Bridal Veil Fall in red light. That's a ballon over the falls.

No, it's not Close Encounters. It's the lighting used to light the American Falls.

Canadian Falls as seen from the Skylon.

Bridal Veil Falls to the left and if you look closely on the wooden ramp, you'll see the shadow of the Skylon.

Where we had dinner in the revolving restaurant (Skylon Building). Yes, we actually rode the elevator shown (52 floors and one floor a second!)

After a quick lunch at Wendy's we headed back to the campground for a little rest. We walked everywhere today. We decided on a nap before heading to dinner at 6:30 p.m.

We had reservations at the Skylon Revolving Dining Room at 6:30 p.m. Our instructions were to arrive 15 minutes early, so we did. We promptly took the elevator up. It was quick enough that I didn't scream! LOL

Our waiters were Tom and Tasha and they couldn't have been better. They made dinner suggestions for us and we took most of them. We split a scallop and shrimp appetizer. I had a filet and tiger shrimp...David tried the pork chops. The meal was excellent. It takes one hour to make a revolution around the restaurant and about the time we got back to where we started, it was time for dessert! We split a creme brulee (my favorite!). We almost had to call home for money to pay for dinner. I'll just say that it's a once in a lifetime dinner! LOL

The restaurant was something else! The area next to the window does not revolve, so you can't put anything on the sill unless you want to get it an hour later! Around the restaurant are facts about the falls and the area. There's also a piano player at the bar. He doesn't move, but you move around him.

We decided to head out and walk to the falls for the 9:00 p.m. lighting. It was about an hour wait and we got to talking to the ladies next to us. They were from Tupelo, MS. A little after 9:00 p.m., the lights came on! Fantastic! The white lights came on first and then the colors changed every few minutes. A full moon added to the majesty of the evening. It was quite cool by the falls, so we decided to walk back to the truck and head to the campground. It was a great way to end the evening out!

Back to the RV and get it ready to head to the US tomorrow!

See ya down the road!

Jenny :)