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As we left Ohio after visiting with Dayna we stopped at Baylor Beach Park for a couple of nights. The amazing thing about this park is that it is a summer playground with a beach, water park and all types of summer games. The park had just closed for the season and we were 1 of about 5 glampers in the park that could easily hold over 100. While there, we stopped to attend the Yankee Peddler Festival. This is an event in which all the folks operating their various booths are dressed in Revolutionary times attire. All the booths were operated without electricity. Food was cooked over an open flame, ladies were spinning thread and the Revolutionaries fired off their 2 cannons. While we were stopped admiring the cannon firing, we engaged in a conversation with a couple about our age. The gentleman and I calmly assessed each other and then determined we were both LEOs. He had retired from a city in OH about 5 years previously. The adage of ‘It takes one to know one’ has certainly proven to be true on our travels.

We worked our way south and stopped in Horse Cave, KY for several days. While there we toured the area and entered the Hidden Cave. The Hidden Cave was a primary source of water for the town back in the day and still has a lot of the piping left over. The greatest feature is the river running through the cave. Our guide explained that there had been major rains several years prior and showed us the marks on the walls where the water level had risen to. It was about 10 – 20 feet above our heads in a tunnel that was about 100 ft wide. I can’t imagine that amount of water. They also boast the longest underground suspension bridge. An additional feature was the opportunity to rappel 75 ft down the face of the tunnel. Yes, I did it. I was nervous leaning out over air with just a rope to hold me and then I was in the mouth of the tunnel with no terra firma to touch. I didn’t do anything like jumping down the walls or swing to and fro. I slowly lowered myself down with the guide running a belay line. I would do it again.

This area is rich in revolutionary and civil war history. On one of my early morning bike rides through the rising dew I toured the Battles for the Bridge battlefield. This bridge was considered a major factor during the war. Teri went for a hike and I for a bike ride at the Lock 4 MTB Park. There are several locks along the Cumberland River that allow barges and large boats to maneuver the river. This is just one of them.

Next up was Nashville, TN. Some of the art along the river was interesting and we walked over the pedestrian bridge from Nissan Stadium to downtown Nashville. The live band music was loud and non-stop from the bars along the streets. It seemed every other doorway was a bar with a live band playing at maximum volume and all the doors and windows standing open. The streets are narrow and the sidewalks were jammed with people. The noise pollution was more than we cared for so we worked our way out of the area without taking in a lot of the memorable sights such as the Johnny Cash museum, the Grand Ole Opry, Country Music Hall of Fame. When we are in the area again, we might give them a try. We were told that we were at the wrong end (wrong side of the tracks??) of the downtown and might have enjoyed it more. That night we had dinner with Chrissy and her husband Brandon and had a wonderful catching up session.

And then we were in Chattanooga, TN to visit my cousin Rob and his wife Donna. As with all my cousins, we hadn’t seen each other in about 50 years. We were all about 14-16 when we last saw each other. Rob and Donna put all on hold to show us the sights. We had a great time. A visit to Rock City and then Ruby Falls filled out the weekend. When Teri and I read about Rock City, our inclination was that it wasn’t worth our time. We thought it was just going to be piles of rocks to walk through. We were wrong. It was an amazing attraction. It is located near the top of Lookout Mountain and has been developed into a series of trails through the rocks of the mountain. If you have ever been through Fat Man’s Pass on South Mountain, then you’ll understand. There is also a suspension bridge along with tunnels and then Lover’s Leap. The short version is that the Indian maiden was killed by her clan because she was seeing a young man from another clan. With her death, he jumped to be with her, hence then name. There is also the 7 States Flag Court because from this point of the mountain you can see 7 states, duh. We met Sven, our gnome, at the entrance and found several of his family throughout the park. The designers of the park also built sections into fairy tales with dolls and gnomes depicting all the storybook and fairy tales we grew up with.

Of course we couldn’t pass up a visit to the Chattanooga ChooChoo. The rail cars are all hotel rooms now and the station, once filled with retailers stands virtually empty. A walk across the Market Street bridge and we were able to watch a K9 competition down on the park lawn which featured dogs chasing and catching frisbees in a timed event. A stop for an ice cream cone and we were done for the day.

The next day we went to Ruby Falls. This was another cave however the difference was that you took an elevator down several stories before you began your journey. It ended at the Ruby Falls, a water fall that flowed from the roof into a pool. A walk/hike in the area was on tap of course. As we were leaving the park, we found a slithery friend. I have no idea what kind of snake and I didn’t stick around to ask his name.

We finally arrived in Claxton, GA to visit with Mike, Maria and Diana. They have a wonderful piece of property with a beautiful home, fishing pond, woods surrounding the house and they are in the process of building Diane’s house. There was plenty of room for us to park the motorhome and jeep and Sarge had a blast exploring the area. He didn’t care for the dogs and would find a spot under the coach to hide and monitor the dogs who were fenced in. It was interesting to watch his behavior.

Of course, you know we didn’t sit around and watch the grass grow. We spent a few hours fishing almost every day. We caught bass and blue gill, enough to have a fish taco night after filleting the fish. Teri and I spent a day in Statesboro taking in the sites. We stopped at the Historic Beaver House for lunch. This used to be a bed and breakfast that is now a restaurant. When you walk in the front door, the days menu is listed on a white board. There are no selections. However, it is all you can eat and there is a lot of food. The food tasted as good as it looked.

On another day we worked our way into Savannah. The historic district is right on the water front of the Savannah River. The streets are paved with ballast bricks from the old sailing days. There was so much to see it was a bit overwhelming. There was no way to adequately take it all in over the course of a couple of hours. It’s on our list of places to return to. After lunch we had to get some peach cobbler from The Peach Cobbler Factory. Teri was in heaven. Mike invited me to have breakfast with his buddies on their standing Saturday morning get together. A more down to earth group of guys I haven’t met in long time. The main topic of conversation was the impending Hurricane Ian and what I could expect in the way of the storm. It was expected to hit our area on Thursday or Friday. Teri and I discussed our options and decided we should leave ahead of the storm. We had been here for over a week which was the longest we had stayed anywhere on this trip. We didn’t want to leave, but I wasn’t looking forward to weathering 60-100 mph winds in a motorhome that wasn’t tied down to the ground. On Wednesday morning we started packing up. When it was time to retract the super slide (25′ long slide on the passenger side), nothing happened when I pushed the switch. I tried multiple times. There was a slight movement of about 1/4″ at the front of the slide but no movement in the middle or the rear. Mike came out and we tried several different troubleshooting tactics to no avail. We arrived at the conclusion that the motor was dead. I called 5 mobile RV repair facilities in the area and left messages. About 30 minutes later John called me back. I explained the issue and he said he be there in about an hour. True to his word he was there on time. He repeated many of the steps Mike and I had taken and arrived at the conclusion that the clutch housing was frozen and the motor was dead. They are replaced as one unit. He called the manufacturer and arranged for the part to be shipped to the house. He told me to text him when the part arrived and he would be right over to install it. It was supposed to be a 2 day delivery which meant it might arrive on Friday. Remember Hurricane Ian? Well, needless to say we didn’t get out of town but fortunately for us, the hurricane went east. We had 2 cloudy and windy days with winds about 20 mph. Not bad. Then on Saturday the sun was shining and Teri and I drove to Tybee Island near Savannah. We missed the main boardwalk but had a nice walk on the beach. The part arrived on Monday and true to his word, John was there Monday afternoon to install it. It worked like a charm. We hit the road on Wednesday. It was a great visit and we look forward to returning. Hopefully we never need to repair the motorhome again, but we will, and if we’re in the area we will certainly look to John & Son Mobile Camper Repair.

Stay tuned for the next episode.

As we crossed into New Hampshire we spent a couple of days in Hinsdale, NH which is just across the Connecticut River from Brattleboro, VT. As is our custom, we went hiking and sightseeing. Dinner on the banks of the river was a pleasant change from the desert dining of AZ. There are so many interesting things to see that you won’t find in guide books that we are always busy. Hence, it takes me along time to get these stories posted. We just don’t take the time to slow down.

The drive from Ohio, across Pennsylvania, through New York and Vermont and New Hampshire was like nothing we’ve experienced before. When we left one of our overnight stops we decided to stay off the interstate and travel on the US and state highways.
That was interesting to say the least. The roads in these areas are narrow, 2 lane roads with twists and turns and blind hills. It required a special amount of concentration especially when an 18 wheeler came up from the other direction. When we came up behind an Amish carriage going down the road we had to slow down to their speed which was about 10-15 mph until we could see far enough up the road to be sure we had sufficient room to pass and hope we didn’t scare the horse. The horses are Thorobreds that have a quick, rhythmic pace that just eats up the miles.

One of the routine comments from Class A motorhome passengers is that they feel like they are falling off the road. In a Class A the driver and passenger seats are situated above the front tires as opposed to a standard vehicle in which the driver and passenger are situated inboard of the front tires. Therefore when Teri was looking out the window, all she could see was the cracked edge of the asphalt roadway and felt like we were driving off the pavement. A very nervous feeling. I, on the other hand, felt like I was driving on the other side of the road as I was sitting on the centerline and was concerned about getting hit by an oncoming vehicle. After an afternoon of this type of driving, we decided to get back on the interstate whenever we could.

The joy of the state highways was all the cute, small towns that we drove through, literally. All these little towns have the main highway routed right through the center of town. The buildings are built close to the road and several times I thought I was going to hit one of the street signs with the mirror. The treetop canopies stretch out across the road and you wonder how it is that we don’t hit the branches with the top of the coach. There were a few times when we did brush against the leaves but fortunately never hit a branch. The semi-trucks drive these roads all the time so that provided me some comfort that I wasn’t going to hit a tree or a power line. The towns are old and still have the power lines stretched overhead crossing the roads so in addition to tree branches we were concerned about pulling down a power line as well. We didn’t and again, even though they look low, semi-trucks drive these roads all the time.

We finally arrived at Gail’s house in Sanbornville, NH where we met up with Rob, Steffi and Gail. Our stay was fun-filled and packed with activities.

As we arrived Gail’s house, Rob and Steffi met us at the intersection in a golf cart to escort us in. As we neared the house we had a steep climb and there was a low power line across the dirt road. The road wasn’t much wider than the coach. Rob directed me and we were able to slide the coach under the wires without pulling them down. The wires slid across the upper driver side corner of the coach but didn’t get caught on anything and then we were parked. We had some nice shade from the tree canopy overhead and a beautiful view of the forest trees. Gail’s house is a sweet little cottage that felt very homey. Rob, Steffi and I went for a bicycle ride each morning while Gail and Teri would go for a walk. The area is beautiful. The weather was warm during the day but nothing like AZ. The roads in the area are all dirt and routinely need maintenance from a gully-washing rain. The trees are dense and the homes are amazing. The size and view of the homes goes from a small manufactured home to some amazing homes built on the lake front with a boat dock. Did I happen to mention the humidity? It is like nothing I’ve ever experienced in AZ.

We spent an afternoon walking through the Wright Museum of World War II and the downtown area of Wolfeborro. The Wright Museum is a tribute to WWII. It not only recognizes and memorializes the military but also all the folks who were not in the military but who were also doing their part to support the country. A wonderful tribute to the men and women who sacrificed at home through rationing and working in the plants to support the war effort. We also took a day and had lunch on the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee and wandered through the small shops that make up the downtown area.

We took a drive up to the Castle in the Clouds, a mansion that was built in 1913 and is now an event center and museum. The views from the top of the mountain are stunning. We completed the 2.5 mile waterfall hike which gave us a view of multiple waterfalls. The water flow was low and we could only imagine how impressive these would look during a spring runoff. After that we landed in Conway and jumped on the Conway- scenic railroad. The railroad tour is much like the Verde Canyon tour in Cottonwood, AZ. It is an out and back tour of the countryside with a narrative of the history of the area. We thought the Verde Canyon Tour was more interesting.

During the time we were there we had a chance to meet Gail’s friends in the area and had a beautiful evening boat ride on Pine River Pond (a huge lake in comparison to AZ) where we all jumped into the water, off the boat, to cool off.

For the weekend, Rob, Steffi and I drove to Concord, NH where we spent the night and the next day we participated in the Kearsarge Klassic Gravel Bike Event. This was a non-race event but since there was a start line and a finish line, it was a race to us. The sky was bright blue with sunshine when we started. I crossed the finish line after a little more than 4 hours and 56 miles soaking wet and muddy due to the heavy downpour that hit while I was still an hour from the finish line. Just a little adversity to make a person stronger. Rob and Steffi both had some amazing finishing times.

Teri and I said our goodbye’s and headed for Maine after a week and a half. We ended up in Portland, ME. We can now say we’ve been to Portland on each coast and have had our toes in both oceans. The towns are small coastal beach towns reminiscent of San Diego, CA in many ways.

We stopped to tour the USS Albacore museum. The Albacore was dry docked after it was used as a testing submarine. The Navy would use the Albacore to test various equipment which included various propulsion systems. It was amazing that the number of sailors necessary to operate this machine could fit in such a small space. It was claustrophobic and had a strong smell of gear oil and grease. The stories it tells are spellbinding. We couldn’t leave the area without stopping into the Kittery Trading Post. Imagine a Bass Pro Shop, Cabella’s, REI, Sportsman’s Warehouse all rolled under one roof and you still couldn’t compete with this Trading Post. They had every brand of every item that you could imagine. Yes, we left a fair amount of money in the store. Someone had to help keep them in business.

After a few days we headed back to NH, this time to Weare, NH. I knew my cousins had lived in Contoocook (near Concord, NH) when they were younger. I took a chance and found a phone number for my cousin Bethany and we arranged to spend some time with her and Neil parked in their driveway for several days. This was a great homecoming for all of us. Bethany and Neil were fantastic hosts and arranged for a family reunion for an evening. I had never met the youngest of the cousins on my mom’s side and this was an opportunity to do so. Kent and his wife Colleen were wonderful to visit with as well as seeing my Aunt Gloria, cousin Mike and his wife Marie, Mike’s daughter, and Alan (Bethany and Neil’s son). Neil and Alan are into sled pulling as much as I am into my bicycling and formerly rock-crawling in the Jeep. The amount of time they spend building their pulling trucks and doing the math to determine how much weight to add to the truck and where to place it and the never ending job of keeping the trucks strong is amazing. But that’s what I used to do with my jeep rock-crawler and now do with my bicycles. We had a wonderful visit catching up and sightseeing. We made arrangements to meet Kent and Colleen in TN to visit additional family several weeks later. Unfortunately, we spent so much time visiting we forgot to take family photos.

Of course we didn’t just sit around a talk. We drove to Dunbarton, NH to enjoy their town heritage with their annual parade and crafts festival. It was great to see the small town heritage. We even took in some of the historical aspects, imagine that….

Philadelphia was next on our agenda. We toured the Museum of the Revolutionary War, saw lots of statues and visited the Liberty Bell. Did you know you can’t take a pocket knife into the Liberty Bell exhibit? I didn’t. After a short conversation with the armed federal security supervisor and providing my retired ID, they let me pass with the knife. The size of the bell is amazing and the story of the crack is sad in many ways but yet you can’t help but stand and read the story all the way through.

Onward we went to Washington, DC area. First up was to visit with my brother Mark and his girlfriend Nina. We spent time with them catching up and learning of all the sights to see in DC as they have worked in the city for many, many years.

We spent an entire day walking DC (10 miles) seeing all the usual monuments and memorials. The Capitol, Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson Memorials and Union Station were on the list. The Law Enforcement Officers Memorial was a special one for me. I was able to see the list of Chandler Police Officers who died in the line of duty in the Roll Call book. There aren’t many, thankfully, but 1 is too many. I worked with a few of the fallen officers and they were a tribute to the badge. The WWI, WWII, and the VietNam memorials were also on the list. I don’t know anyone on The Wall but it is very impactful. We finished the day at the Holocaust Museum. You couldn’t help but get a little teary eyed at some of the stories. A very sobering story of a sad time in world history. At the end of the day, we hailed a cab for the first time in our lives for the drive back to our parking garage. We were beat.

As we continued south we stopped in Lexington, VA. We didn’t know what was here, it was a good stopping point. We stayed for a few days. We found the Stonewall Jackson home and the Virginia Military Institute. I found the VMI museum extremely intriguing. It is considered the West Point of the South. Many military leaders from all generations and military branches have attended VMI. There was a new class starting and we could hear them counting cadence as they were conducting their various drills. It reminded me of my days at the police academy and I felt for them. I’m just glad I don’t have to do that again.

We continued to tour the area and hiked the Natural Bridge trail, the Blue Ridge Tunnel, a stop to walk across the Buchanan Swinging Bridge, and a tour of the Old Derby Inn in Blountville, TN. The Natural Bridge trail reminded me of the Tonto Natural Bridge near Payson, AZ. A geographical marvel. The Blue Ridge Tunnel was a railroad tunnel that was considered and engineering marvel. A light is a must as there is no light in the tunnel, almost a mile long with water dripping out of the walls. Fortunately, the pinpoint light at the end of the tunnel was not a train. They quit using the tunnel when the trains became too big to fit in the tunnel. The Buchanan Swinging Bridge has a long history going back to the 1800’s. A quick trip south from the Virginia side of the state line back to the TN side and we were in Blountville where they were holding a town festival. This is where we had a self guided tour through the Old Derby Inn and had a taste of small town life in TN.

After a few days we moved on to Bristol, TN to visit with cousin Theresa and Aunt Gladys. Kent and Colleen and dropped in while we were there so we were able to have a 2nd family reunion of sorts. Kent was thoughtful enough to share some pictures of our Grandad. Outside of the visiting, sharing stories, eating wonderful food, Teri and I found time and place for hiking and bike riding, if you can imagine that.

From TN we headed back north to visit with Dayna. She had insisted that we needed to visit rural Ohio around the Labor Day time as there were a number of festivals in the area that we wouldn’t want to miss.

Apparently Virginia does not believe in building roads over the mountain, they’d rather have you drive through the mountain. As we moved north from TN, the storm clouds starting gathering. As we left Canton, OH we were in rain. It was still raining when we reached Dayna’s. We were blamed for the rain but there was nothing we could do. We spent the week going to the county fair, the Amish farmers market, having fantastic meals and a wonderful visit. At one point in our visit we had to move our parking spot from one park to another. As we started to drive away from the first park, I noticed the ride seemed to be much harsher than usual. The short version is that I determined that the suspension air bag on the right rear was not inflating. We called multiple shops looking for some assistance. Several said they could help and would put us on the schedule 2-3 weeks out. We could have made that work, we are retired…… But that just was not acceptable and we felt there had to be a better alternative. As we were discussing options, Dayna’s mom contacted a friend of hers, Howard, who owns a garage. He said he’d be happy to help and suggested I call the shop. I called Kronk’s Garage and spoke with Annie. She said Howard had called and they were prepared to help. Annie obtained all the necessary information on the motorhome and said she’d call me back with additional information. We had picked up Dayna for a day on the town so we stopped into Kronk’s. Dayna and Annie had a reunion from their high school days without realizing the other was in town. Back to business and Annie said they could work on the coach the next day. True to their word, the coach was fixed the following day. While they worked on the coach, I went for a bike ride while Teri and Sarge hung out at the shop with Annie. The friendliness of the staff and their professionalism was second to none. They saved us a tremendous amount of time and frustration. Of course we didn’t just sit around letting the cobwebs gather.

We attended a Benefit Car Show. The organizers are similar to the Club 100 in AZ. The show was the Cruisin’ For Cops Car Show sponsored by Blue Line Unlimited. Blue Line Unlimited conducts fund raisers to collect funds that are used to support the families of injured and fallen police officers. There was also a fund raiser for an injured local SWAT officer who was severely injured in an on-duty car crash. His company vehicle was hit broadside by a red light runner. He had to undergo several surgeries, including one that was overseas. He was recovering but still had a long way to go. I had the chance to speak to his partner who had also been involved in the crash but who had suffered much less severity. Of all the items that were up for raffle and the number of raffle tickets we bought, we walked away with the pleasure of knowing we supported their efforts.

We also attended the Geauga County Fair with Dayna and friends. Who can’t resist a county fair?! The fairs in this part of the country are focused on the animals and animal events. Chickens, Roosters, Sheep, Cows, Horses, Draft Horses, were all on display. We also took a drive into a nearby town and found a glass blowing shop that had taken over an old church. The stained glass windows were amazing. Finally a trip to Lake Erie to walk to the lighthouse and lunch on the pier overlooking the water. A great way to end this part of the trip.

From there we started south again, headed for Georgia.

To be continued……..

We returned to civilization as we landed in Seattle on July 1. The trip to Alaska was amazing and we couldn’t stop talking about it as we mooch-docked off Dan and Brenda through the 4th of July in the Seattle area. They live in a development that is surrounded by tall hills. Some of their neighbors believe in celebrating the 4th of July from the 2nd through the 5th with LOUD firecrackers that reverberate throughout the area. From there we headed south to Jessica (Teri’s niece) and Patrick’s where we retrieved Sarge. We spent a couple of days in the area. They live near Portland. Sarge was a little perturbed that he got left behind and showed it by ignoring us but eventually warmed back up to us. I think it was his way of saying “Don’t ever leave me again!!!”

While we were camped in an RV park along the Columbia River, I took a ride along the airport road and was amazed at the amount of homeless camps, trash, burned out vehicles, destroyed motorhomes and junk just piled up along the road. I later had the opportunity to speak to a local businessman who said the city hadn’t made any decisions on how to deal with the homeless population, so for now the area was not patrolled by police and the ‘campers’ were allowed to live in peace. It was disgusting and a bit scary.

Once we left the Portland area we headed east. We drove through the Columbia Gorge and commented that this was definitely a place we needed to return to. As you enter the Gorge, the canyon walls start growing taller until you reach the middle of the Gorge, then the walls start to diminish as you head toward Idaho. Near the middle of the Gorge you are in a relatively narrow canyon with the walls climbing 100+ feet in the air above you. There are numerous scenic and historical spots to stop however the majority of them denied truck access. Our rig isn’t much shorter than a semi-truck so we figured if trucks were refused access, we probably shouldn’t be in there either.

We stopped for a couple of nights in Bonner’s Ferry, ID. We stayed at the County Fairgrounds which did not charge anything to camp. We were only about 20 miles from the Canadian border. I found a wildlife refuge on my morning bike ride, so later that day, Teri and I took a hike through the refuge finding a waterfall and creek. We didn’t see a lot of wildlife. Sarge had a blast romping through the park grass.

As we headed toward Montana we came across a sign for Kootenai Falls which had a swinging bridge and a short hike. We had to go look. We parked the motorhome in a chain up area along the highway and drove the jeep to the parking lot. We walked to the falls and walked across the swinging bridge. An amazing sight. The bridge was initially built for the forest service to assist in fighting fires on the north side of the river. It was damaged and rebuilt and is now used for administrative purposes and for visitors. Of course we had swing the bridge as well. There were several people in the area who were very skeptical of crossing the bridge. The falls were mesmerizing. We finished the hike with some polish dogs and ice cream at the food truck that was parked there. We drove back to the motorhome, hooked up and were back on the road.

Our next stop was Whitefish, MT home of Hammer Nutrition. As many of you know, Hammer Nutrition is my primary support for my bike riding and racing and yes, I’m a sponsored rider for them. No, I don’t get any royalties for mentioning them here….

I didn’t realize Whitefish was such a resort town. As we walked through the town, it was obvious they rely very heavily on tourism for activities on the Big Mountain. Teri and I took a morning and hiked a newly developed trail up on Big Mountain. Of course, I had ridden the trails on my mountain bike the day before. I find some fabulous hikes for us when I’m riding so I get to see many of the trails multiple times. I stopped at Hammer to pick up some product and as I was walking out the front door, I literally bumped into Brian, the owner of the company. He and I met at The Cactus Cup race in Phoenix in 2019. As we got caught up he gave me a tour of the facility. The team wa feverishly working to get orders filled and shipped. Each person I spoke with had a smile and seemed to enjoy what they were doing and did all they could to make my visit a pleasant one.

Teri and I developed a cough post Alaska with Teri feeling the worst. My cough disappeared after just a couple of days but Teri’s lingered. While we were in Whitefish, we stopped into Urgent Care. It was a husband and wife operation. The wife ran the front desk while her husband was the Dr. They were extremely personable. Teri did not have Covid and we left with a pocket full of pills.

As we rolled westward toward Billings, we saw the beginnings of a storm. When we were about 30 minutes from our RV park a black dust cloud enveloped the highway. Visibility was about 10 yards. I could just barely make out the vehicle in front of me as traffic slowed from 65+ to 15 on the freeway. As a side note, I drive 60. I’m still feeling a little PTSD from the tire blowout. I was worried about getting hit by the vehicles behind me. I felt a little relief when I saw a semi-truck in my mirror who was traveling the same speed I was. An AZ haboob had nothing on this storm. As we rolled into the camp to register, another motorhome pulled in along side us. As he got out, we commented on the storm. He had been traveling west. It turns out he was headed for home in Page, AZ. The next morning we learned there had been a multiple fatality on the freeway east of us during the storm that closed the freeway for hours. We were fortunate we didn’t get caught in that.

The next morning as I was closing up the motorhome to prepare for another day of driving, Sarge decided to wander. We have a tracker on him so normally we can find him. We couldn’t find him. We had the help of a couple of other campers looking through the park for him without any luck. The tracker was not connecting to our phones, so we didn’t know where he was. I was furious and scared and threatened several times to just leave him and good riddance. That didn’t happen. I finally got on my bike to ride around the park to look for him. As I got near the office, the tracker connected and we located him in an enclosed area. He had found a way in but couldn’t find his way out. We finally hit the road 3 hours later than planned.

Over the course of several days we had developed a problem with the steps on the motorhome. They had been acting up for a few days but always extended and retracted. Saturday morning, they wouldn’t retract. We stopped at the nearest RV repair facility we could find on a Saturday in Sheridan, MT. As we stopped in front of the business another motorhome pulled in as well. The shop is a family owned/operated business. The husband said he had to help the other coach as they had an appointment, but he provided me some troubleshooting tips. 2 hours later, we were fixed and back on the road. We were fortunate they had all the parts we needed.

Next stop was Spearfish, SD, gateway to Devil’s Tower, the Badlands, Custer’s National Park, Crazy Horse Monument and Mt Rushmore and more. The park we stayed at had a petting zoo, with a couple goats, some sheep and 2 cows. The goats were young and it was fun to watch them play king of the mountain on a tree stump and butt heads like mountain goats. A dear friend, Sharon came to visit from MN and we spent a fun day walking around Spearfish at the Arts and Crafts festival. We took a drive up Spearfish Canyon and completed a brutal 2 hour hike. The views were amazing. From there we headed into Lead, SD an old mining town where we grabbed some lunch and wandered through a few of the stores. The town reminded us of Bisbee, AZ. Narrow streets, with buildings very close together in a valley with remains of the mines on the hillsides. From there we stopped in Deadwood, MT. This is also a tourism town and reminded us of Tombstone, AZ. There is a lot of history, but it is developed for tourism. It wasn’t our cup of tea.

After a couple of days camped and several bike rides, we were headed east again. We stopped in Sioux Falls, SD where we had dinner with Sharon. If you haven’t been to a Scheels outdoor store, you’re missing out. It is a Dick’s, REI, Cabellas, etc all rolled into one. They are proud of their inventory as well. It was a fun store to walk through. We jumped onto a trolley car for a tour around the historical part of the city. A stop at the USS South Dakota to pay our respects and learn more about the history of the ship and a walk around Falls Park. Another amazing water feature that can one can only imagine how impressive it would be in a winter water runoff. We chose to skip Mt Rushmore, Crazy Horse, etc but would like to return to see Custer State Park and drive through the Badlands.

As we moved east the countryside diminished in mountains as know them but became rolling hills. It was especially noticeable on my bike rides. The other thing we noticed was the abundance of corn fields and hay fields. I still don’t have an eye for what an acre looks like, but these fields were as far as the eye could see with corn and rolls of hay, so they must have been 100’s of acres in size. In the mid-west they don’t bale their hay in a block, but in a large round roll that is about 4 feet in diameter. From South Dakota we worked our way East and South through Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont and into New Hampshire. We didn’t stay long in any one place with our longest stay of 2 nights in Ohio to visit Dayna. We found time for a bike ride and/or a hike in each place we stopped as well as taking in some type of historic site and activity. In NY we toured the Howe Cavern which is similar to the caverns in the southwest except this one had a river running through the middle of it. We even jumped into a boat to float through the cavern for a short distance. One of our nightly stops was at a converted farm to event center. The barn had become a large venue for weddings and the like. The next morning the owner had fixed an amazing breakfast for us and they only asked for a donation.

We arrived in New Hampshire by the 1st of August but that is the next chapter.

June 2022

We took possession of the new to us motorhome on Friday 5/20/2022 from a dealership in Sun City.  The closet doors had been broken and the dealership and previous owner were working to get the doors replaced.  We were promised the doors would be available before we left town on June 2.  Short story, that didn’t happen.     

We left town and landed in Alpine, AZ to spend a long weekend with Mike & Jill Bluse and Ron & Vonette Slusser.  A great weekend.  It was a blast to spend time with them reliving old times and planning new ones.  We also hung out with Michelle and Clark Thiry and had the chance to do some bike riding with them.

When we left Alpine, we headed back to Sun City.   Our doors were ready to be picked up.  The doors were ready but they didn’t have the hardware to hang the doors.  The sales manager assured me he would send the hardware wherever I wanted when it came in.  We hit the road and worked our way to Northern CA by way of Nevada.  Short stops in Las Vegas KOA, Fallon RV Park, Burney Falls/Hat Creek KOA and then we were at Brandt’s house in Ft Jones, CA.  Burney Falls was interesting.  We had spent the entire afternoon trying to call to make reservations.  They would not answer the phone.  When we pulled in and talked to the owner, he explained the phone system was down in the entire area and wasn’t sure when it would be back up.  He suggested we use the phone booth with a payphone if we needed to make a call.  I’m not Superman and didn’t need to change into leotards so we didn’t use the phone booth. 

We spent a couple of days at Brandt’s house relaxing.  We  drove up the mountain to the secluded cabin he had spent many of his summers at helping his dad build furniture and developing the water system.  After his folks retired they lived there full-time until age crept up on them.  Electricity was provided by a generator.  There was a large propane tank to provide gas.  Water was provided by a gravity feed from a spring upstream through a 1 1/2 inch pipe to the house.  It was rustic but very livable.  

Next up we stopped in Eugene, OR and then Centralia, WA.  Teri’s niece lives in Centralia so we were able to spend some time with her and her family before heading to Bonney Lake, WA (Seattle area).  There is nothing flat around that area when bike riding.  You are going up or going down but there are some amazing sights..  Anything flat is in preparation for going up.  Dan and Brenda let us mooch dock in their driveway and we left the coach there while we were in Alaska.

On Saturday 6/18 we dropped Sarge (our cat) off at the Pet BNB.  It was a tear jerker to leave him there.  He didn’t know what was happening.  He was placed in his glass enclosure with his bed and a blanket along with some food and water.  He had a window that looked outside into the parking lot.  Ironically, the jeep was parked directly in front of his window.  As we walked to the jeep, he was standing in the window looking at us with a pleading look in his eyes.  As we drove away, both Teri and I had tears in our eyes.  We parked the jeep, shuttled to the airport and flew to Sitka.  If you’ve never flown into Sitka, you actually land on an island.  As you are descending all you see is water, then the wheels touch down.  It’s almost a terrifying event.  The team from Alaskan Dream Cruise picked us up and drove us to our hotel.  We had instructions to meet at the Hospitality Room at noon the next day.  We were scheduled to depart at 12:45pm for an afternoon of tours and then board the 60 ft boat with 4 other passengers for our 6 day cruise which would end in Juneau.  On Sunday we were walking around Sitka and received a phone call from the cruise line asking if we could meet at the Hospitality Room at 10am.  Of course we could.  We met at the Room along with the 2 other couples.  The entire Alaskan Dream Cruises team was present which included one of the co-owners, Jeremy, the operations mgr, Travis, and the reservation mgr, Terri.  One of the  couples was from the United Kingdom and the other from Maine.  Travis informed us that unfortunately our cruise had to be cancelled.  The Captain had contracted Covid and they did not have another Captain who was certified to sail our boat.  Collectively we all groaned.  One lady whispered, “You’ve got to be kidding”.  Teri and I looked at each other with ‘oh shit, what do we do now’ looks.  Travis explained the options they were willing to provide.  1) refund all expenses and cover any  change fees experienced. 2) apply all expenses to another cruise and cover any change fees.  3) Sail on the next available cruise which was sailing in 4 days (Thursday).  Teri and I looked at each other, initially with crestfallen eyes and heavy hearts then said “why not?”.  We’re retired, we don’t have any deadlines, let’s do it.  The next cruise was going to be a 9 day cruise (4 more days) and was going to end in Ketchikan with no additional expenses.  The short story is we accepted and were scheduled to sail in 4 days.  We asked what we would do for 4 days in Sitka (a very small town/city) and where would we  stay.  They gave us a list of things to do and said they  would cover all expenses including the 4 days of hotel.  They were true to their word.  They put us up in a hotel right  on the water.  They scheduled a private fishing charter ($1000 value) and an afternoon wildlife boating excursion for us.

While fishing we each caught a king salmon (1 fish limit per person per day) and we caught 1 ling cod.  Once the fish were packaged and shipped, we had 25 lbs of fish shipped to Dan and Brenda.  On the excursion we saw some Humpback Wales, sea lions, harbor seals, sea otters and there were bald eagles everywhere.  We also toured a couple of museums, stopped in to multiple shops, tested out every breakfast and dinner location in town.  When the cruise ships arrived and the tourists were walking through the city, we felt like locals.  The town officials close the main road to all motorized traffic when the large cruise ships are in port.  We found coffee at the Backdoor Cafe.  After the 2nd day, we would walk in and Dan would ask, “the usual?”.  It was a great feeling.  One morning we met a police officer at the Cafe.  After talking for about 15 minutes, I asked “are you an officer or do you have some rank” based on a statement he had made.  He   hesitatingly replied,  “I have some rank”.  I asked, “Chief”?.  He said yes.  It was a very interesting conversation we had.  We looked up his profile on Google and found he was a very respected officer in AK law enforcement.  Sitka has its own sense of history that can be seen at various historical places throughout the city.  Bald Eagles could be seen throughout the city and it was obvious the city makes its living on fishing and tourism.

On Thursday we met with the other 30 people for the cruise.  The afternoon was spent touring the fish hatchery, the raptor center and Fortress of the Bear.  The raptor center rehabs birds who have been injured.  If the birds cannot be released to the wild, they are kept in a natural environment in the center.  Their lifespan is normally doubled in the closed environment.  The Bear center is also a sanctuary for bears.  Several of the bears would have been killed if the center had   not been in existence.  The bears were caught raiding trash cans and causing problems within the city but not harming people.  They were also in a relatively natural environment.  We then boarded the boat, a 120 ft boat with 33 passengers and a 20 person crew for a 9 day cruise.  I can hear you singing the theme song from Gilligan’s Island while you’re reading this……. 

After sailing all night long, we awoke in Cedar Cove. This was the first excursion of the trip. Teri and I jumped into a kayak and paddled around the cove for about an hour.  While doing so, we were teased by seals who  would splash right behind us and pop their heads up a hundred yards in front of us. To Teri’s dismay, we didn’t see any whales. Later in the day, while  sailing through the inland passage, we came across a pod of about five humpback whales. We followed them for a while waiting for them to breach, but they never did.  

The day ended with us going to bed around 10:00 and the sun was still shining.   

Saturday morning, the sun came up around 3:00 AM. We got up around 6am and prepared for the day and were presented with pastries and  coffee which was an everyday fare before breakfast.  Breakfast was at 7:30 and had a very full menu available. As we looked out the windows of the dining room, we could see Marjorie glacier which is part of Glacier Bay. We all went up onto the top deck to marvel at this magnificent view. The sky was blue, the sun was out and then  there was a huge thunderclap. It took several minutes to realize that this was the glacier ice cracking. As we watched it calving, we saw large chunks of ice falling into the sea.  We were anchored about ¼ mile off the edge of the glacier in about 700 feet of water and could feel a slight roll to the ship as the wake from the falling ice reached it.  

As we sailed out of the bay, we had to avoid small icebergs. Returning to the inland passage, we again followed a small group of whales. We saw several large groups of seals and sea otters.  Next stop was  Mendenhall Glacier where we took a hike out toward the glacier and stood under a huge waterfall.

Lunch was another full menu consisting of salad, salmon, the chefs special or a hamburger. That afternoon, we observed a brown bear walking along the shore and then up onto an ice pack on the island. It was amazing and confusing trying to figure out  how he got there. We were unable to readily identify his destination. Further up the passage, we saw a mountain goat sunning himself on a rocky ledge of the island. 

After going to bed to the steady hum of the engines and the rolling seas, we woke up in the port of Juneau. After a short guided bus tour into downtown Juneau, Teri and I walked the  historic downtown area. The difference in the retail market between Juneau and Sitka was astounding. Most of the retail stores in the Juneau were commercial companies with the store employees standing on sidewalks enticing customers to enter their store. The commercial aspect was a put-off to Teri and I. Steering clear of the business district we went on our own walk about. Teri found a steep staircase of about 100 steps that we just had to conquer. Of course, when you go up, you must come down, another hundred steps.  

The story of Patsy Ann is an astounding one. She was a deaf terrier that was adopted by the townspeople in the 1900’s.  She had an uncanny sense knowing when ships were returning to port and which dock they would use.  The dockworkers relied on her to notify them when they needed to be prepared for the ships arrival. One story tells of the townspeople gathering at a particular dock waiting for a fishing boat to return.  Patsy Ann went to a different dock to wait for the same boat. Guess who was right. 

The large cruise ship port of Juneau was dwarfed by the enormous Odyssey of the Sea cruise ship which was docked when we arrived. I lost count of the number of decks on the sky scraper of a ship which held thousands of passengers. We reflected on how lucky we were to be on a small ship. Where disembarking in ports took minutes instead of hours.   

As we set sail, it was dinnertime.  Dinner always included a chef special, typically a salmon dish, chicken, salad, soup, bread, and dessert. With all the rich, delicious food, it was challenging to not put on a few pounds.    

Monday morning had us sailing up to Sawyer glacier where we again witnessed the spectacle of a calving glacier and the loud thunderclap that preceded it.  High up on the mountain wall, we saw a small herd of mountain goats walking along the treacherous edge. Some of the crew went out in an inflatable boat out to an iceberg and chipped off a large block of ice.  One of the blocks was later used in a contest to see who could guess when the ice would melt.  As we cruised through the inlet, there were amazing waterfalls cascading into the sea. That afternoon we saw an amazing site.  A pod of Humpback Whales decided to grace us with their presence and put on a show for us.   

Tuesday we arrived in Wrangell and took a bus tour around the community where we visited petroglyph beach. Many of the rocks on the beach had ancient petroglyphs attributed to native American civilizations. After that, while many of the passengers took advantage of a paid expedition, we hiked Mount Dewey to have a fantastic view of the bay. Then we found a nature hike through a local park.  During our walk, we met with the only Alaska state trooper assigned to the island. We returned to the boat and when everyone was on board we set sail. Each evening, prior to dinner, was happy hour which was a time for everyone to hang out in the lounge and discuss the days adventures. With such a small group of people, we were able to meet everyone.  We found a few couples we felt we shared common interests. Jim and Pam from  Congress, AZ and Bran & Cynthia from West VA were two examples.  

Our next stop was Thorne Bay and then Kasaan. In Thorne Bay, we were treated to a walking tour of the village which at one time had a major logging industry. Once a week a semi-trailer container is shipped in providing necessary supplies to the village.  

Kassan is on the same island as Thorne Bay and has a rich cultural history. Our tour guide told the tale of each totem pole as we hiked through the forest to the Chief’s house. Inside the house, he explained how up to forty people would sleep in the house and he sang a traditional ancestral song. We were introduced to a couple  who have a small antique store on the island with a lot of old, historical items that were used on the island.  They were also carving out a full size, 30’ canoe which was very impressive.  We then returned to the boat. 

By Thursday we sailed into the Misty Fjords and into God’s Pocket and the Punchbowl  Cove.  Here we were treated to another opportunity to kayak and relax on  the water for about an hour.  As we sailed out of the cove we could see New Eddystone Rock.  A rock that stands about 50+ feet out of the water, but is several hundred feet under the water and is not connected to any observable land feature.  This rock statue was created when the glaciers retreated.

Thursday night we dropped anchor in the bay near Ketchikan and docked on Friday morning. 
That evening we had a celebration dinner with the Captain providing the toast.  This was the inaugural sailing of the reconditioned boat and the crew.  There were a few hiccups but they were very minor and the trip was a huge success.

As we disembarked at the dock, we were aware that this ‘city’ was much like Juneau but on a slightly smaller scale.  There were lots of retail stores and it was very touristy.  At the port  was a sculpture titled The Rock.  It depicts the various groups of people who discovered and built Ketchikan.  We walked through the city for a couple of hours taking in the rich history of mining and fishing.

We then boarded the plane to fly back to Seattle and back to civilization.  We picked up Sarge who was ecstatic to see us.  It was nice to be back in our own bed.  I found the trip to be very liberating.  Since we didn’t have cell service for about 90% of the trip, I didn’t feel the need to check email or social media.  It was an opportunity to be in the moment and not worry about the outside world.  We had a great time, met some wonderful people, saw some amazing sights and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.  We would highly recommend this type of cruise if you have any interest in cruising.

I hope you enjoyed the story.  

We are John & Teri. We retired from the workplace in January 2022 with big plans. In March we moved into our motorhome and began our full-time RV journey. We will be traveling the country, exploring, hiking, bicycle riding and racing and having fun.

Follow along as we document our travels, trials, tribulations and explorations.