Megan

Well, it's official - Megan is no longer working at Southwest Airlines. After 10 years, she was tired of the travel and took a "buy out." She started classes at Texas State this week to earn a degree in Interior Design. She is so talented, we know she will do well. In addition to full time classes she has started a personal assistant business - Austin Assist. Check out her web page at www.austinassist.com - she'll give you back your free time!

Michigan

We left West Virginia, drove through Ohio and arrived in Michigan on Wednesday afternoon. Someone told us a "two way road in WV means 2 wheels on the shoulder and 2on the road" - a good description of the narrow, winding roads through the hills. Sorry Ohio, but your flat farmland pales by comparison. We have enjoyed hiking this summer but were afraid we were going to twist an ankle or slip and fall, so we stopped at Bass Pro Shop and bought hiking boots. By far the UGLIEST pair of shoes I have ever purchased but ohhhh...soooo....comfortable! It started raining when we crossed the Michigan line and hasn't stopped yet! Hope we can bring some of the "wet" weather to Texas!

New River Gorge

We went exploring again yesterday. This area of the New River Gorge is so gorgeous! I saw a caption in one of the tour books that said "Did you know - Nearly 80% of West Virginia is forest land?" No lie!! On one of the scenic drives we took I counted 7 waterfalls along the river road. We even found a good Mexican restaurant in Fayetville and had a fajita fix!
We played golf on a 9 hole "mountain" course this morning. Glad we had a cart! Cost us $7 to play and $11 for the cart - worth that just for the views! Actually, pretty nice for the price.
This afternoon we hiked the 2 mile trail to Kaymoor Mine. It was in operation from 1899 until 1962 in the hills above the New River Gorge. Kaymoor Bottom, the town on the river where the workers lived, was a real "owe your soul to the company store" town. We owe all these men a debt of gratitude for their contribution to the industrial era. They worked in tunnels miles long and 3 feet high - extracting coal. Can you imagine working all day, and I'm sure they were long days, while squatting in a 3 ft high tunnel? It was scary just seeing the mine shafts let alone going into one!
We're "pooped" tonight - anchoring our lawn chairs!
We have cancelled our reservations for Shenandoah, Williamsburg and Kitty Hawk and are heading to Michigan tomorrow morning. Our hearts are just not into vacationing anymore and we want to be there for Wally's memorial service. Still plan to return to Texas the first part of October.

Babcock State Park

We moved to another beautiful park in West Virginia near the New River Gorge yesterday. We have Internet access here so spent most of the morning playing catch up on our computers. Roger's laptop had a "major meltdown" - Carlos helped him delete & reload everything - so he is finishing that frustrating process. It rained most of the night and this morning but cleared this afternoon. We went exploring and saw the Grist Mill and several scenic outlooks. Could not have found a better place to spend our 40th wedding anniversary!
PS - Guess what we bought each other for our anniversary?? Padded biker shorts! The kind you wear under your clothes - we wouldn't force the general public to see us in them! I know 25 years is silver and 50 years is gold but I'm not sure if 40 years is spandex!!

Greenbrier Trail continued.....

I can't believe I forgot the most exciting part of our bike ride! We saw a black bear cub on the trail! He ran out of the woods about 100 ft in front of us, ran down the trail and then back into the woods! We stopped for awhile and waited to see if Mom or Dad was around anywhere close and then sang really loud as we biked away! We also saw a family of wild turkeys and oh, a turtle - quite the wildlife tour! No pictures of the bear - it all happened to fast. Carlos says he'll get bigger and closer with each telling of the story!!
PS - Megan & Carlos left early Friday morning for Baltimore and a flight home. They saw 3 more cubs on the park road!

Greenbrier River Trail

We moved to Watago State Park on Monday where Carlos & Megan joined us for the week. Our campsite was right on the river and you could hear it bubbling along as we relaxed. The Greenbrier River Trail, which runs along the Greenbrier River on the old Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad bed, is 75 miles long, virtually flat and runs through some of the most picturesque countryside we've ever seen. On Tuesday, Carlos & Megan rented bikes and the outfitter took us up to Slatyfork. We then rode 27 miles back down to the campground - through a tunnel and over many bridges. There are campsites, toilets and water pumps along the way and we stopped in Marlinton for lunch. They allow horseback riding on the trail so all the campsites have places for horses too. It rained on Wednesday so we went to Lewisburg for shopping and dinner - the guys hung out at the library where they had wi-fi access. We drove into White Sulphur Springs and saw the Greenbrier Hotel - the "in" place to stay in West Virginia. It looks like the White House only bigger! Four world class golf courses and beautiful bungalows in the hills around it help to occupy the 7,000 acres. Definitely 5 star! On Thursday we were back on the bike trail - this time we rode 20 miles from the campground to Renick where we had positioned our car the day before. Another tunnel and an old fashioned swimming hole with a rope swing, where we had a picnic lunch, where the highlights of this day. We showed our country roots when we went swimming with our clothes on in the river! I'll share our web album with pictures of us at the mileposts to prove we actually rode 46 miles plus!! A truly memorable time with the kids!

Blackwater Falls

We are now in West Virginia - gorgeous countryside with scenic vistas at every turn. Don't know how anyone that suffers from motion sickness could live here with all the steep hills, ups and downs, twisting "S" curves and switchbacks - no such thing as a straight road in WV! An adventure in the motor home! Our first stop was at Blackwater Falls State Park, in the northeast section near the Maryland border. We rode our bikes all around the area and hiked to scenic lookouts. The falls are "root beer" colored from the tannins in the water from red spruce and hemlock needles that have fallen from the trees.

A Sad Day

It is an incredibly sad day for the Hewlett family. Duane's son, Wally, age 50, died suddenly last evening. Wally and his family lived in Kenai, Alaska. It is just over a year ago that Randy, Duane's other son, died of a heart attack. It is just not the "order of things" for our children to go before us and certainly not to loose two sons at such young ages. Our hearts are heavy as we think of our loved ones dealing with such terrible grief.

A Day in the Life.........

A tough job but someone has to do it! Gorgeous golf course here at Rocky Gap. Beat our butts but we still had fun!

Rocky Gap State Park

We are in the nicest campground since we began our travels - nice site, satellite reception, phones & Internet work plus there is a beautiful lake and golf course. Rocky Gap is a man made "cut" through the Allegheny Mountains near Cumberland, Maryland. More lovely rolling green hills and farms.
We have been educated about the Chesapeake & Ohio - the C&O - Canal which runs from Georgetown to Cumberland (185 miles.) It is a narrow canal, parallel to the Potomac River, built for long, narrow boats to float goods from the coast inland and coal back to the east coast. Families lived on the boats and used mules, on shore, to pull the boats through the canal. There is a series of 75 locks that raise the boats from sea level to approximately 800 ft at Cumberland and there were "lock houses" at some of them. It took 14 yrs to build a 3000 ft tunnel near Paw Paw, WV as a shortcut past multiple "S" curves in the river. There is a bike trail all along this canal with camp sites, water, and toilets and amazingly it is flat except at the locks sites. We rode to and through the tunnel today and will ride another section later this week. Correction, Roger rode through the tunnel - I ended up walking my bike most of the way! The path inside is narrow (there is a guard rail,thank goodness) bumpy and wet in areas. I couldn't hold the flashlight, so I could see, and keep my balance going so slow! What an experience! We met a family of 4 who were biking the entire trail and had been on it for 61 days! The advent of the railroads eventually caused the canals demise. Hard to imagine the time and energy it took to make a delivery when we can get a "Fed Ex" overnight!

Round Barn

We explored the countryside surrounding Gettysburg today. Beautiful, green rolling hills covered with orchards - apples, peaches & nectarines. We stopped at a farm market in this great old Round Barn. The best nectarine I've ever eaten! Didn't realize this area is the "Apple Capital of the World." Visited a local winery and had our picnic lunch at lovely Caledonia State Park along a bubbling stream. I bought the perfect T-shirt for me at the winery - black with a glass of red wine on the front and it says "Well - red." You can't buy beer and wine at a grocery store or convenience store in Pennsylvania. It has to be bought at a state approved store and they are kind of scarce. We happened to drive by one today and stopped to get some beer - come to find out, they can only sell it by the case. If you want a 6 pack, you have to buy it at a bar that sells beer and wine by the bottle or carton - maximum 2 six packs. Problem is how do you know which bars?! Easier to wait until we get to Maryland tomorrow!

Gettysburg

We have traveled from the area of the French & Indian War; to the area of the Revolutionary War and now to the area of the Civil War. We purchased a CD "Auto Tour" of the Gettysburg battlefield - it is huge and encompasses the city and surrounding countryside. A great American history lesson. There are many statues and monuments honoring heroes from both the Union & Confederate armies scattered throughout the corn/hay fields. Farmers just plow around them. The picture is of Gen. Robert E. Lee and his horse Traveler. Very sobering to imagine the carnage that left 51,000 dead, wounded or captured in 3 days! Pray we never have another war on our soil. Artillery Ridge RV park has a diorama and presentation depicting the battles - provides a good understanding of what happened before you tour the area. They also have stables for horses so you can camp with your horse and then tour the battlefields on horseback. A great concept except horses = flies! We toured Eisenhower's farm today - Ike & Mamie bought it when he retired from the military and they lived here after his Presidency. Reminded us of Lyndon B. Johnson's ranch in Texas.
Good News - I got my hair colored and cut and I don't have to wear a hat!!!

Philadelphia

We are in historic Philadelphia for a couple days. Resting from our busy NYC time. Went to Independence National Historical Park and saw the Liberty Bell, Christ's Church, Ben Franklin's grave, Betsy Ross' house and Independence Hall. Then we walked to Elfreth's Alley - a narrow sidewalk "street" with houses that were built in the early 1700's - and people still live in them! We ate Philly Cheese Steak sandwiches - have to try the local favorites! - for lunch a Campos, a tiny family shop that started as a grocery in 1947. I tried to get Roger to run up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art so I could take his picture like "Rocky" but he declined! We planned to ride our bikes in Fairmount Park but with the temperature in the 90's and the humidity 150% we have stayed in the AC! On to Gettysburg tomorrow.

Jersey Boys

We went shopping - I should say looking - on 5th Avenue on Friday. I love the unique window displays and all the shoes!! We rented bikes and rode all through Central Park yesterday. A great way to enjoy the park and see the neighborhoods around it. Ate "authentic" New York pizza for lunch in a little Italian cafe. But, last night was the highlight - "Jersey Boys" on Broadway - the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. It was wonderful! Roger even enjoyed it! I've been playing the CD all day today - singing all their great old songs. We were surprised at how small the August Wilson theatre is - the Majestic in San Antonio is a lot bigger. The taxi ride in Times Square, around 11pm, was also pretty exciting - the city is just coming to life about that time! Had a great time in NYC but sure wouldn't want to live there!
We are now near Philadelphia, PA - ready for another history lesson.

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly:
The Good - "Crumb Bakery," in the theatre district, voted as having "the best cupcakes in NYC." I had a big "Hostess" cupcake - chocolate cake, vanilla filling, and chocolate frosting with a white squiggle on it. Enough calories for a week but ohhh soooo goooood!
The Bad - The oppressive humidity that makes you feel like a wet dishrag!
The Ugly - The taxi ride to and from the theatre! I called and reserved a cab for Saturday night after we had spent too many exhausting hours sweating in the subway. The guy I talked with knew exactly where the RV park was and said they had picked up and delivered from there many times - the price was the same as others so we set a time. The guy gets there early and calls us - we are impressed - until we get in the cab. There is about 4 inches between the front & back seat and the bottom of the back seat appears to have "fallen out." This leaves about a 6 inch gap between the back of the seat and the "bench" - right at the small of our backs. All the windows are down - should have been our first clue! - so, I asked him to please turn the air conditioning on and he said "Sorry, no AC." I said "You're kidding, right?" "No, m'am." By then we had struggled into the backseat and it was too late to call another taxi and get to the theatre on time soooo....off we go. I'm thinking I will be a windblown mess by the time we get there but no worry, there is no breeze in bumper to bumper traffic - especially through the Holland tunnel! Add to it the heat from the differential & exhaust coming through the "vent" in the seat back! As we are riding along we realize he has no dashboard lights, no radio to the dispatcher, no meter and did not know where the theatre was located. He had a business card and a cell phone and gave us his number to call and let him know what time to pick us up - said "don't worry, I'll put some more minutes in my phone when I get back to Jersey!" His driving technique consisted of stomping on the gas and then stomping on the brakes. When we finally got there it took me 10 minutes to get out - between the narrow area, the extremely low seat and the fact that my thighs were stuck to the vinyl - it was a graceful exit to say the least! We were skeptical about riding back with him but were afraid we might not be able to find a taxi to take us to Jersey after the play so, we made arrangements for him to pick us up at 10:45pm. I don't know if I was glad to see him or not but he showed up on time. The trip home was a little faster but scary because he took us through the Lincoln Tunnel and all these back neighborhoods as a shortcut. We didn't recognize anything. We were so glad to finally see the RV park - couldn't get out fast enough. What were we thinking??!!