Jumping Hermits

Who knew?  Hermit crabs love okra and shimmy up the stalks to eat it.  Then once at the top of the plant the scurry out on a leaf and use it as a trampoline to go down to the next level.  It's better than TV watching those guys gorge themselves.

Today is Friday so I dont have to work and am using the wi-fi at the McD on Willmington Island.  This place is hopping.  Not an empty seat in the room and retired folks flitting from table to table.  I kind of feel like I've stumbled into a subculture - not sure yet if it's a good thing.  Last night went for a swim off Tybee after work.  The waves were big due to the full moon and upcoming storm.  It was incredible.

Last Sunday was a different story.  I went out to walk on the beach after finishing unpacking.  I had on shorts and a tank top.  All the years by the Pacific.... didn' occur to me to wear a swimsuit.  Plus it was 7pm.  When even the Middle Eastern women with head coverings had on less clothes than me and were swimming it occured to me that I was the foriegner.  I cracked up laughing.

Cheers from Ga.  The storm last night was amazingly powerful.  I put up the blinds and sat in wonder.

It's Different Here

It's good to be back in Georgia but is going to take a little bit of getting used to.  It's hot all the time. 

There has already been several powerful thunderstorms.  On Thursday I sat out on Joe's dock and watched the lightening while soaking in the wind and power of the storm.  When it let up a bit I walked back up to the house and sat on the screened porch.  Joe showed up with some beer and the storm let loose in full blast. It was frightening but fun at the same time.

I got a call while we were in Moab that my background/drug tests had cleared and I could start work on Monday 6/27.  I'll work Mon-Thurs next week and then be off until July 11.  I am trying to figure out where I am going to live.  Margi and Joe are letting me stay in their guestroom.  It is really nice being here.  I got to go Jo Jo's soccer game this morning and may get to tag along to Cars2 this afternoon.  Joe is already harvesting tomatoes and okra and catches crabs off the dock everyday.

Cheers!  Kathleen

Made It!

We drove over 3000 miles and pulled into Savannah on Wednesday night.  The last day was the most difficult driving due to the over abundance of 'real' rain.  It was coming down so hard that I couldn't see out the window and followed the faint glow of the tail lights in front of me; hoping and praying that the car wouldn't stop.  A lot of people pulled off the road waiting for the storm to pass - but we kept driving.
We stopped quickly at Natural Bridge Alabama.

Tybee - dipped our feet in the nice warm Atlantic water to end the trip.  

Last Legs

James and I pulled into Savannah Wednesday night.  We didn't care for Texas too much and made it through without spending a dime.

Closed

No Tolerance - how Oklahoma brands itself

We enjoyed the Hi Lee all you can eat Chinese Buffet in Olkmolgee; where we spent Monday night.

Tuesday we pulled into Memphis around lunchtime and dropped by James' old school.  It is on Mud Island which had been flooded but seems to be drying out nicely.



Site of the BIG turnip

We then ate some BBQ and headed down to Tunica, Mississippi.  Pulled into Delta Tire right before 5:00 so James could surprise his Godfaterh Jim and say hello.

Took Hwy 4 through rice fields to Tupelo.  There were a lot of nice hotels but none of them had room for us.  After going to three places we ended up and America's Best Inn.  James coached me that I needed to act more 'southern' and maybe we could get a room.  I was welcomed by a man in red suspenders and a red tie.  He held my hand and said 'God Bless You'.  When he heard I was moving back to Georgia after living in Oregon for 14 years he sighed and said 'Praise God you got out in time!'  I must have looked taken aback because he explained that everyone knows the End is coming and it's starting with the West Coast.  It seems like I've been away for a long, long time.

Message in a Dream

James had a bad dream last night. He dreamed that he accidentally tossed his iTouch in the ocean and lost all of his pictures. He was especially upset that he lost all of his pictures of the Mormons. We take dreams seriously out here on the West Coast. So here are all of the Mormon pictures, preserved for posterity.

We will drive 500 miles...

What a long day.  We are now in Okmulgee, OK and are about to get some supper.  James saw three viable options - Chinese buffet, bbq and cheeseburger/icecream palace.

Holy Spirit Gets a Bum Rap

Even the Grotto didn't have any items to honor the Holy Spirit.  Joe thought perhaps there had been a run on them since Pentecost was last Sunday until the cashier told him otherwise.  He's not a big seller, doesn't have the following or the clout of the Big Guy and the Son.  Such a shame really.  Joe, James and I scoured the giftshop and came up with one measley holy card.  Joe kept bring up how the world is short changing the Holy Ghost and we had to agree with him.  Then today as we were driving away from the Grand Canyon on Arizona HWY180 low and behold we saw a sign.

I had to do yet another U-turn so we could go in and say a little prayer.

It was curious because there was all sorts of 'holy' graffiti written on the walls and the floor was loose gravel.  I'd never seen such before and was surprised.

James said he'd never seen a motorcycle riding airedale either (as was in Moab) or a hitch-hiker playing the trombone (as we saw on Hwy20 on the way to the coast) or a ucallali playing Mexican serenading the Arches.  Maybe the Holy Spirit doesn't really need a formal following, he seems to be making his mark just fine.

Cheers from Moriarty, New Mexico!  KB

Grand Canyon

We arrived at the Grand Canyon around 7pm on June 18 and went up into the tower overlook.  We drove the entire south rim in order to get to our hotel passing beautiful views and several huge Elk.

Today we hope to walk a little bit on the Rim Trail.  We are a bit leary of going on a real hike after the misinformation on the hike yesterday and the 'primative' trail in Moab the day before.  We'll then hit the road for the long drive home.

Four Corners

The road from Mesa Verde to the Grand Canyon passes right by the Four Corners.  The Navaho Nation requires a $3 admission - but then you get to stand in Arizona, Colorado, Utah and New Mexico all at once.  We did.

New Mexico

Arizona

Mesa Verde

James and I spent Friday night in Cortez, Colorado at the Super 8.  The town was full of abandoned buildings and empty parking lots.  This created the perfect spot for our first driving lesson.  One the way to Mesa Verde he surprised me at how quickly he learned to start/stop/shift with the whole clutch thing.

The Balcony House was our first tour.  To get in we had to climb this ladder.

Then we had to crawl through tunnels and go up other ladders inside the cliff dwelling.

The walk to the petroglyphs that we thought was 0.25miles was actually 3 miles.  James realizes that my statements may need verification at times.  It was a great hike on the edge of the canyon wall where we passed and visited little dwellings and ended by a wall of cool writings.

Big Horn Sheep

Joe was mooned by a couple of big horned sheep and took their picture.  Look in the upper right and lower left corners for their white butts. This was on the side of I-84 outside the Dalles in Oregon to the south of the Columbia river.

June 14

June 14, 1997 - graduated from Tech and flew to Oregon.  First stop was Eola State Park outside of Canon Beach.

June 14, 2011 - locked up house and headed back to Georgia but wanted to go coast to coast so went over to Canon Beach and dipped our feet in the water at Eola State Park.

Indians

Tuesday started off in Hood River.  After seeing a rainbow over McDonalds with the sun coming up we went in search of She Who Watches.  I'd all but given up when Joe started down a partially blocked trail.  He found her.

This is a trip worth doing on a sunny afternoon from Portland.  Drive out I-84 to Cascade Locks. Go over the Bridge of the Gods and proceed along the Washington side of the Columbia until you reach the turnoff for White Salmon. Enjoy some food on the deck at Everybodys Brewing while smiling at Mt. Hood.  Proceed west on Washington 14 until you come to Horsetheif Lake State Park.  Take the road down to the Columbia.  Look at the rock art on display then take the little path until it ends in front of She Who Watches.

In Search of Maroni

Joe needed to catch a flight out of Salt Lake City yesterday.  He was so pleased to see THE Temple that I don't think it was a coincidence that he chose that airport.

Adventures in Moab

Dropped Joe off at the airport. The ride to Moab was mostly uneventful. As we passed through the absolute middle of nowhere we saw a spraypainted hippy bus. We then saw Arches park with thunder at our backs. It was amazing! We saw the arches, cairns, chipmunks, and even a baby hare! The thunder forced our decision to go to Moab for the night. We are glad we did! We ate at a Bar because James could pass for 16. We then had gelato and scoured the local used bookstore.

Yesterday

It's been difficult getting all my trash to fit into a 16ft POD to ship to Savannah.  When Joe and James arrived on Monday it was painfully obvious that we couldn't fit into the car with all the remaining things I had.  So although I had cut before it got ugly.  The clothes that wouldn't fit into my suitcase were given to Goodwill along with the coffee pot, iron, cookie jar... everything had to go.  The entire time Joe is giving a running litney of why I had too much.

At 10am we drive away from Ostman for good and head to a salmon lunch in Cannon Beach.  Then Joe starts pulling out stuff that he 'saved'.  This includes a hack saw, hammer, goggles, tape measure... all of which he displays with glee.

Plan

13^th Monday – arrive in Oregon – tour Portland

14^th Tuesday Astoria, Oregon and back (110 miles ~ 2hours 20min each way)

Where Lewis & Clark ended their expedition

Mouth of Columbia River – Washington State to North, Oregon  to South

http://www.nps.gov/lewi/planyourvisit/index.htm

15^th Wednesday

Portland To Twin Falls (560 miles ~9hours)

Columbia River Gorge

Multnomah Falls

Bonneville Dam

16^th Thursday

Twin Falls to Salt Lake City (225 miles ~3.5hours)

Drop off Joe

Salt Lake City to Moab (240 miles ~4 hours)

17^th  Friday

Tour Arches National Park

Moab to Mesa Verde (2 hours 12 min 125miles)

Tour Mesa Verde stay at Super 8 in Cortez, CO

18^th Saturday

Mesa Verde to Grand Canyon (5 hours 280miles)

Canyon Plaza Resort, Grand Canyon, AZ

19^th Sunday

Grand Canyon, AZ to Alburquerque, NM (6hour 410miles)

20, 21, 22 (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday)

Albuquerque, NM to Savannah, Ga (25 hours ~1637miles)

new day

Yesterday was my last day at Xerox in Oregon.  I will be packing up my things and moving to Georgia.  This inspired Catherine, Alphonso and Ron to all send me independently the following links:

Ray Charles - Georgia On My Mind http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Thls_tMuFkc

Ray Charles - Georgia On My Mind http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Thls_tMuFkc

 Ray Charles - Georgia On My Mind - Live [1976] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7q5hD9cRQ9k

  Gladys & The Pips "Midnight Train To Georgia"  [1973]                            https://www.webmail.xerox.com/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v78-ftcqpNw