Day 40 Sunday 10-17-15 Berea KY to Home.

We woke up to frost on the pumpkin!  We had to scrape the windshield. Burrrr! I guess it's getting to be that time of year. 

 

We are only about... 500 miles away from home. (sounds a bit like a country song).  We should be home late this afternoon or early evening.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The leaves are just starting to change

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We encountered snow flurries as we came through the mountains near Cumberland MD.  This is to be expected.  We regularly watch Baltimore TV.  When the weatherman predicts the rest of Maryland to be sunny and mild there is usually the added disclaimer..."A possible 2 inches of snow in Allegany County". 

 

It's been a great trip.  Linda is a little (UNDERSTATEMENT)  upset with the driver since he committed himself to an obligation back home.  We really needed another two weeks to see the many things we missed.  Another lesson on why I need to learn to say NO! 

 

But we saw most of the major attractions, reunited with friends we haven't seen in years, saw lots of wildlife and enjoyed the diverse beauty that God has blessed this country with.  It is almost unbelievable that the only rain, during the daytime, was on the first day across PA.  The few night time showers did not affect our travels. 

 

Maybe some day we can take another road-trip and pick up where we left off.  (Linda says that trip will come out of my IRA; not hers.)

 

Just a quick review:

 

Length of trip: 40 Days.

Miles Driven: 8,496.

States: (18) PA, OH, IN, IL, WI, MN, SD, WY, CO, AZ, NM, TX, OK, AR, TN, KY, WV, MD.

Serious Arguments: None.

Days in jail: None.

Total fines: $0.00.

Fun Times: Innumerable!

Wildlife: Buffalo, Buffalo, more Buffalo, Elk, Prairie Dogs, Buffalo, Coyotes, Magpies, Whitetail Deer, Mule Deer, Wild Donkeys, Buffalo, Bear, Bald Eagles, Red Squirrels, Mountain Goats, Pronghorns, Kaibab Squirrels, oh,  and did I mention ... Buffalo.

 

Thanks for riding along. We enjoyed having you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 39 Saturday 10-16-15 Knoxville,TN to Berea, KY

We said our good byes to Bill and Pree just before noon.  We decided over lunch that we would drive through Somerset, KY just to see how much it has changed since 1981.

 

Our plan was to take US-27 north but GPS Jill insisted we take I-75.  We even put in an intersection that was no where near I-75 but she would not have any of it.  She took us on a circular scenic tour of Oak Ridge, TN that took about half an hour. Finally after much convincing she gave in and directed us to TN-61 where we caught US-27 in Wartburg. 

 

US-27 winds through the mountains and valleys of north central TN.  Linda said she really likes it here.  I told her it's like PA with a southern draw.  The terrain is very much like a few miles north of our home.  

 



Where we lived on Beechwood Drive

We found the house where we lived on Beechwood Drive and then stopped at the airport.  The airport has expanded some and there is now a terminal on the northeast corner.  But for the most part it looks the same.



Pat and Ray lived next door
(Day 2 & 3 of this trip)

 

 






The former Somerset Flying Service
hangar where I worked

While we were at the airport we saw a gyrocopter taxiing out.  It made two landings and then taxied by to the next hanger.  Linda and I walked over to take a look.

 

We joined I-75 at Mount Vernon and spent the night in Berea, KY.  Just across I-75 is a Cracker Barrel.  That sounded like a good way to end the day.








 

Day 38, Friday 10-16-15 Jackson, Louisville and Knoxville, TN.

This morning we drove down the hill to Casey Jones Village to get some pictures.  It would have been great to have been able to spend some time here.  This will be a come-back-to when we visit friends in Knoxville.  Casey Jones, while a legend, was a real engineer on the  Illinois Central Railroad.

Follow this link and use the sidebar to read the facts and legend of Casey Jones

The house Casey live in with his wife Janie.

 

Our next stop was Louisville, TN where Linda’s step-aunt lives.  The two don’t see each other very often (like every 25 years) so it was a chance for the gals to discuss where and what everybody in the family is up to.  They had a good reunion.

 

 

Bill, Dusty, Lacey and Pree 

Our next stop is in Knoxville to visit Bill and Pree.  We all met back in 1972 when Bill and I attended Embry Riddle Aeronautical University.  We have kept in touch all these years and when they were living on their sailboat “Night Wind” and we had “TwoGether” they sailed north from Titusville, FL to the Chesapeake Bay for the summer to visit us.  At this point they are enjoying retirement with the occasional trip to TX to visit their daughter and grandkids. 

Here I come!!

Pree has a new puppy who is six months old.  Lacey is all puppy.  As Linda wrote in her journal “Lacy is a little fireball”.  She took to Linda right away. 

 

 

We always have plenty to catch up on even though we email and are on the phone together several times a year

Pizza delivery seemed like a good idea.  It was and we feasted at the kitchen table.





Day 37 Thursday 10-15-15 Oklahoma City, OK to Jackson, TN

Eastern Oklahoma and all of Arkansas zipped by pretty quickly as we were trying to keep on the move. 

Linda did manage to get a shot of the First Pentecostal Church in North Little Rock as we flew by.  Back in 2008 we traveled to San Antonio TX and on the way home we crossed southern AR and our son was kind of disappointed because it was absolutely flat.  However I-40 brushes the Ozarks and the terrain is more like home in PA. 

We wondered how the lady we met at the diner back at Devils Tower, WY was making out.  She had left Alaska and was moving to AR to have more sunshine in the winter and lower taxes and cost of living.   I think she will feel right at home real soon.

Whoa!! Where is this guy going?

I didn't think he could back up at 70 MPH.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Memphis came up on the horizon.  The Great American Pyramid stood out as we crossed the Mississippi River.  We still haven’t figured why ‘GPS Jill’ decided to detour us through downtown but we out smarted her and stayed on I-40.  I think she just tests us from time to time to see if we are paying attention.

The Pyramid, originally designed as an arena, now
houses a Bass Pro Shop Megastore and
headquarters for Ducks Unlimited.

 

We decided we would travel to Jackson, TN and call it a day.  It’s interesting how during our travels we fall into things we never planned on seeing.  Our hotel was next to Casey Jones Village.  We walked down to the Old Country Store's Dixie Café  for supper.  They offered a choice of eating at a cafeteria, a buffet or the ice cream parlor.  The best part was the live music offered every Thursday evening.  Local folks just a pickin’ and a sing’n, Bluegrass and country music.  There were three jam sessions going at the same time: one in the cafeteria, one in the ice cream parlor and one on the front lawn. 



Croon'n in the cafeteria

Pick'n in the parlor



Bluegrass on the grass



 This was a memorable evening for sure.

Day 36 Wednesday 10-14-15 Amarillo to Oklahoma City.

Today is a travel day from Amarillo to Oklahoma City where we will visit with family tonight. 

Of course we all know everything is bigger in Texas.  We saw this cross along I-40 at “The Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ Ministries” in Groom, TX.

  
 
 
 
 
 

 

We have never been to Italy to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa…But we saw the Leaning Tank of Britten.

Cotton Fields

 

 

 



Stephanie, Ty and Keith

We got a room in Yukon, OK then headed south to Bridge Creek to visit with family.  I have an aunt, Ruthann, that is only a year older than I. We could find all kinds of trouble to get into as kids.  About the time my dad was ready to skin us alive my grandmother would say "It's okay...Their just having fun".  Ruthann is kind of responsible for Linda and I getting together when we were in our teens.  Ruthann and her husband Jay, and Linda and I ,would double date.  Anyway, Ruthann and Jay's one son Keith now lives in Oklahoma with his family, Stephanie and Ty.  It just worked out that they were visiting as we were passing through.

 

Ruthann, Jay, Ty, Stephanie and Keith.

We had a great evening visiting together and our first home cooked meal since September 8th.  Yumm! 

Linda was fascinated by the storm cellar which came in handy when a tornado hit earlier this year.  The house received quite a bit of damage but Stephanie and Ty road it out safely down in the cellar.

After catching up with lots of stories and hugs for everybody we went back to the room for a good night's sleep.