Alaska Bound Day 5

Photos: Joseph and brother Hiram Smith statue; Loon? Family

Day 5 Total miles 255 This was a touring day. After pumping out my holding tanks (always a fun job!), I headed for the marina and used their Wifi to upload the Blog, days 1-4 with great success. Then I headed for Hannibal following my own route much to Greta Garmin’s consternation (there is a better way! She kept repeating.) My route was about an hour more in time but it followed the mighty Mississippi along the Great River Road with limestone cliffs along the way. Evidence of flooding was to be seen and I suspect parts of the road had been underwater not long ago. Fortunately no problem for me but at times the water was not far from the road. Part of my ride crossed the Illinois River on a drawbridge we went through in 1997 on HOME JAMES return to Florida that year. I stopped and took a photo and noted how swift the current was.
Lunch was in Hannibal at Lula Belle’s next to the dike. Two of their 3 flood gates downtown were still closed and it appeared some city “honchos” were evaluating the damage at a new riverside park. By the way Lula Belle’s is also a B & B but originally was a bordello begun by a madam from Chicago in 1917 and continued in operation until the 50’s. I walked around the town. The trolley tour needed at least four people so I didn’t qualify but the walk did me good after the large lunch. Becky Thatcher’s house is under renovation as were some of the other buildings.
I then drove further up the river to Nauvoo Illinois. This was where Joseph Smith the original leader of the Mormons (He authored the Book of Mormon) established their base in the 1840’s and the town was comparable in population to Chicago’s at the time. Smith though was controversial and eventually murdered along with his brother. Much of the area is under restoration. I remember hearing of a lot of archeology work in the 70’s-80’s period and this is assisting them in their work. It appeared there’s a section being done by the followers of Smith who are a separate group from those whose base is in Salt Lake founded by Brigham Young who was active here as well. Then another restoration area is more secular but unfortunately I didn’t find that area until past closing time.
I am camped at the nearby Nauvoo State Park and my site is in a pine forest on a bluff so no flooding problems. However there are only a couple of others camped here. Tomorrow it’s a short trip to Cedar Falls Iowa where I will be visiting my roommate of 3 years at the University of Iowa . The last time I saw her was at Les’s and my wedding in 1992.

Alaska Bound Days 1-4

(L) Yurt & Big Mama at High Falls

Day 1: Total miles 529 Hello from High Falls Georgia about 50 miles south of Atlanta. I drove 529 miles today in a little over 8 hours. Except for some back pain in the late afternoon, it felt quite comfortable. The High Falls Georgia State Park is only a short distance from I 75 but a world apart from all that traffic. My campsite in the tranquil area overlooks the lake. I walked the rocky path next to the water cascading over rocks and experimented with my new camera. Despite the “stay off the rocks” sign there were people out in the water and sunbathing on the rocks in the warm weather.
It was pretty hectic getting the van packed and the house prepared for my 3 month absence. I had been collecting items for the last month and amazingly most of them made it into the van which probably means I have too much stuff. Time will tell. At one of the Roadtrek rallies, tips on packing the van were given which came in handy. Now of course the question is: can I find things? The refrigerator and pantry are particularly full. I won’t need to go to the store for some time.
So my 2009 journey has begun. There were lots of motor homes on the road today and I wondered “are any of them heading for Alaska???? “ It’s good to have you along for the trip!
Day 2 Miles on Friday 578 Writing on Saturday, May 2, 2009 from Dam West Campground on Carlyle Lake about 50 miles east of St. Louis. Yesterday was a 10 hour day with lots of rain but I made it the whole way for a total of 1107 miles from Stuart. This campground is great and my site is very large, made for a 40 footer at least. Good electricity but no water connection. There has been considerable rain in the area and many farm fields are flooded. Some of the campsites have pools of water but mine does not. I expect the mosquito population will be high soon. The birds are vocalizing and the trees are in early stages of leafing with that delicate green color.
I managed to drive through Atlanta without a problem but the rain started just north of there. Nashville was the scariest with a terrific downpour and the pavement starting to collect water. The signs are confusing enough with several interstates coming and going. I was amazed I made it through unscathed. Fortunately Big Mama with her size and lights is very visible. The problem was I couldn’t see so I just concentrated on the white dashed or solids lines and listened for Greta, the GPS . Debating whether to stop in the Kentucky Lake area mid afternoon, I decided to keep going when I learned from the radio tornado warnings had been issued for the area. All went well until a 10+mile backup on I57 heading north in Illinois. It was all due to a traffic merge into one lane for a 5 mile construction area. The delay added about 45 minutes to my long day but fortunately I had no difficulty finding the campground and arrived in daylight at 6:40 CDT. The first thing I did after plugging in the electric was to go for a long walk.
Day 3 This turned out to be an active day away from the van. Cousin Julien and wife Kate arrived late morning and were introduced to Big Mama. We had lots of catching up to do for the two year interval since we’d last visited. They took me into the town of Carlyle and treated me to a great lunch at Lubar, a second choice since their usual favorite spot left over the winter.
This is the start of their sailing season on Carlyle Lake, the largest lake within the boundaries of the state of Illinois. We spent the afternoon putting on the sails of their 25 ft Catalina. Kate worked below as I assisted Julien on deck. I enjoyed every minute of the work! No time for a shakedown sail as we had a date with my friends the Huhns at their nearby sailing association Derby Day Party. Kate provided me with a hat and we placed our bets on a “blind” chart. Our horses were revealed prior to the race. Goodies and fantastic mint juleps in authentic cups added to the celebration. Kate’s horse won the race and she won some money! No luck for me except in picking friends and family, the best kind of luck. Everyone had sailing in common and I felt part of the group, having done my part on the MARY ROSE that afternoon.
Kate and Julien headed back to St. Louis and the Huhns and I caught up over dinner in the town of St. Rose. Dave and I reviewed the Illinois map in preparation for my trip Monday to Hannibal, MO. I was back at the campground around 9 p.m. from a wonderful day.
Day 4 Rain again overnight, mostly cloudy day. I did some reading on South Dakota as well as my historical fiction Pictures from an Expedition about Montana at the time of the battle of Little Big Horn. I also rearranged some of the compartments. A long walk all the way to the dam caused me to plan to return with my bicycle. It’s a great bike path but long walk. I could see a sailboat race beginning on the lake. Some of those from last night’s party might be aboard. I’ve also been preparing for a 3 way phone call with my Alaska traveling companions. We are going over reservations, tours, etc. Emails have been going back and forth but it helps to all get on the line to go over details. We did it a couple of weeks ago and I hope we’ll do continue until they leave California around the 16th.
Here’s a recipe for all my living alone friends and the rest of you too perhaps: Thanks to Roadtrek friend Susan, I was introduced to the 1 qt. “slow cooker” or as I refer to it Crock Pot. She cooks in hers as she drives. I haven’t worked up to that but today tried doing it while staying put. I found the pot for about $10 at Walmart (as many of you know I don’t usually shop there). I had a frozen chicken breast from home and didn’t think I should push my luck keeping it frozen. Of course I forgot to thaw it but another recipe using frozen chicken inspired me. So I sliced ½ Vidalia onion and put on the bottom of pot; threw in about ¼ cup quick cooking, uncooked barley (are you following this?). I laid the frozen skinless ½ breast on top and poured a can of Delmonte Fresh cut zucchini that contains tomatoes. Just because it was handy, I added about a ¼ cup V8. Lid on, set on High and let it go for 6 hours. Notes: My chicken contained bones and I had to be careful not to eat them. Boneless would work better. I suspect it would cook on Low for 8 hours and I could have managed a shorter time on high. This may depend on thickness of chicken. Anyway it was delicious and will make 2 meals for me. It also added a good smell and some heat on a chilly rainy afternoon. Bon Appetite!

Catching up

I can’t believe it’s almost a month since I wrote. I feel as though I’ve been in “overdrive” during that time but not sure what I’ve accomplished. I’m posting some photos to show some of the activities I’ve also posted some on my Facebook page.
Mike and Karen’s wedding was small and beautiful. It was a lovely family time. They had a fantastic trip to Paris doing the city sites and Euro Disney. Despite snow I had a good quick visit with family in Rock City and Rockford and saw Jim’s beautiful creation of a Harp Guitar. Click on the photos and you can get a larger view.
Once back in Stuart I was on the road to camp with sister Karen, husband Brad and Mena, the dog, who were traveling from Arizona to New Hampshire. Unfortunately I had come down with a terrible cold causing me to not have my usual vim and vigor but we still had a good visit and Brad was very helpful with some of my concerns with my van. Then it was onto the Will McLean Folk Festival where I met 2 Roadtrek friends. We had a great time with lots of wonderful music. Heading back home, I had some assignments for the local genealogy group.
Easter Sunday I received a call from our Alaska tour leaders. Her husband was in intensive care with serious bleeding in the brain due to head injuries. He is improving but they will not be able to go to Alaska. Also departing from Florida, I was hoping we’d meet along the way. Later that day I spoke with both the other participants and said that I still wanted to go. They agreed. They are both in California but did not know each other. We are all getting acquainted with emails and telephone conversations. They are also women traveling alone and around the same age. So I will depart Stuart on April 30. Watch this space for the story!

Back on the bicycle

This week has been really busy but the good news is the doctor removed all restrictions which means I'm back riding my bike. I can tell I'll have to build up my miles again. I feel it in my legs.

The photo was taken Sunday night as I walked home from our dock where we watched the shuttle launch, It was quite spectacular and I wish I'd taken a photo then but was busy watching the separation through my binoculars. Do click on the photo to get a better picture.

I am starting to do a count down for my April 30 departure for the road trip to Alaska. I expect to be gone a little over 3 months so there's lots to do. This week I'll head to Chicago for Michaels wedding on Friday and seeing some of the Rockford area family on Saturday. The following week I'm off for some Florida camping and a rendezvous with sister Karen in the Ocala area. It seems as if I'm doing everything in double time which is a real adjustment from the life of leisure I had in February. I am pleased though to have the recovery go so smoothly and am so thankful for all the assistance, thoughts and prayers that aided in my healing.

Emily's visit

Emily made my seafood pizza on Saturday night complete with a homemade crust. It was delicious. She cooked three nights and we enjoyed leftovers on the last night. I gained weight! It was a great visit that included a long beach walk and a tour of the Frances Langford Beachhouse that was a designer showcase to raise funds for the Children's Home and Aid Society. Spectacular ocean views and guest suites that had once been occupied by the likes of Jackie Gleason and Bob Hope.

She also helped me with some chores including putting the new windshield cover on the van, changing light bulbs, and storing my health aid equipment back in the attic. The 500 piece jigsaw finally was finished as a result of her seeing my problem in a new light (missplaced pieces).

On my list was checking out the I Phone. I had been considering one or an IPod which I learned is actually a feature on the I Phone. I decided to go ahead after Emily plied the ATT salesman with questions and I tried it out. As a result Emily says I've now "out teched" her. However I still have a ways to go on the learning curve. She was able to set up some applications including one that will use the GPS function to track my bicycle riding. My email is coming through on the Ipod as well and will be great for traveling. I can't believe all it does and I've probably barely scratched the surface. (Actually fingerprints on the surface are the biggest negative so I need to get some kind of cover.)

I have to say I was a bit worn out but the 4:45 a.m. departure she had may have contributed to that. I found a series of gentle exercises from Hystersister website which I'm trying to do twice a day for that "swelly belly" that just doesn't seem to go down!

Breaking News

The doctor said I was TWO weeks ahead of schedule with my surgical healing!!! Still some restrictions but a real feeling of progress and the end being in sight.

Week 4

It was 4 weeks Monday since the surgery and only feels like 8! However I am walking farther and find I have more mobility and flexibility and just an occasional "twinge". The next Dr. appointment is Friday so hopefully she'll ok the pool exercises. It has been too cold most of the month for the class to take place though.

Last Thursday was a sad day with the peaceful passing of friend and neighbor Randy. His wife Arlene was feeding me my first days at home saying that she needed to cook for herself and he was unable to eat anything. He had a long and valient fight with the Big C and I'll always remember him in his red turtleneck so full of life and dancing with Arlene at the condo's Christmas Party. Randy and Arlene were my cheerleaders as I approached purchasing Big Mama and prepared for my trips. Their support was very meaningful and helpful to me in so many ways. Losing Randy is a big loss for us all and our hearts go out to Arlene and their family.

On a brighter note I took the car out today and did a few errands. Other than almost misplacing my grocery cart, it went well. Tomorrow I'll drive to the main library for the Women Lit book group. Last week was the first session and friend Kim provided my transportation. Tomorrow she is the presenter of Five Quarters of an Orange.

Daughter Emily is working in Florida this week and will drive to Stuart on Friday for a long weekend visit. It will be great to have some time together but I also have a "to do" list of some tasks one of which is to return some of this hospital equipment to the attic---a sign of progress!!!