Wednesday, November 13, 2013

tales from the trail...

After several weeks on the road...
pulling up stakes every night...
we spent four most enjoyable days in Palm Springs.


We relaxed...
(just like these ducks that seemed to think they belonged to us)
and enjoyed the sunshine.
I read a few books...
including Blush...
and Sycamore Row...John's Grisham's latest.

After a few days of  rest and relaxation...
we were more than ready to head for home.
We arrived home last night...
a good place to be!
Some of the kids and grands came for supper tonight...
the rest are coming tomorrow.


Over the next while I will take you back to some of the places we visited on our US road trip.
Today I'll just share a few tidbits from here and there.

On this leg of the journey we passed through eighteen states...
eleven which we had never been to before.

We began where we left off...
in Pennsylvania.
From there we traveled south along the ridge of the Appalachian mountains.


For the record...
I hiked the Appalachian Trail.
(Not too far though!)

We had wondered if we might have cold weather by the time we got to Missouri and Kansas...
but weren't anticipating freezing temperatures through the eastern states.


We had a bit of snow one day on the Blue Ridge Parkway...
and icicles hanging from the RV one morning.

We discovered that MacDonald's coffee is not bad...
and the price is right!
And so we often stopped for coffee-to-go along the way.


Not all MacDonald's are made equal!
The one in Asheville, South Carolina had a copper tile ceiling...
and a player piano providing music for the patrons.
Quite lovely.


In Dodge City, Kansas...
the booths were inside chuck wagons.
And we discovered that English was not necessarily spoken or understood there.
We ordered two coffees.
The 'associate' went in search of someone who could serve us...
since he had no idea what we were after.
How does one say coffee in Spanish?
Or maybe it was our Canadian accent that was the problem!

We spent most nights at KOA campgrounds...
and have only words of commendation for them.
They are accommodating and clean...
and easy to access.
And often in most interesting locations!


Near Tulsa, Oklahoma we stayed at a KOA next to a racetrack...
and awoke to watch the jockeys putting their horses through the paces.


In Arizona we saw work crews in 'uniform' cleaning up along the sides of the road.
I haven't worn my black and white striped t-shirt since I took that photo. :)


Through the desserts of New Mexico and Arizona the tumbleweeds continually blew across the road.
Who knew they were so hard to capture on 'film? 
After many attempts...
this was the only one that even resembled the rolling weed.

We crossed the border into British Columbia last night...
as it was getting dark last night.


Though the photo is blurry...
I just had to share the provincial sign that welcomed us on our arrival.

Beautiful British Columbia...
The Best Place on Earth.
I like that.

Home!

15 comments:

  1. What an amazing journey you have been on.
    I can assure you that we don't have Macdonalds with pianos in England! Your photo looked to be a very superior coffee stop.

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  2. Oh the stories you will tell of your adventures on the road! Great photos! I had to laugh at the road crew in their striped uniforms. I didn't know they still wore those! And the portapotty on the back of the truck is priceless. You saw some interesting sites but it's always great to be back in one's own home and bed! Welcome Home Judy! Have a blessed day.

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  3. Home Again! I know you will have had wonderful experiences and as Pamela says, stories to tell but there's nothing better than arriving home. I have to agree that British Columbia is the best place on earth, and i wish I were driving now and seeing that sign as I entered beautiful BC. Welcome home!

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  4. You had me laughing out loud on the Arizona road crew picture!!! So funny .... Glad you're home safe and sound. You look great BTW!! I have SO enjoyed reading your postcards and travel tips and notes!

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  5. Fun pics that brought us a morning smile. It was fun to see you in PS. All the planning and mapping out has come full circle and you are back in the best place on earth. Welcome home.

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  6. What a wonderful picture trail you have shared. Wow...those guys in their stripes doing road work. I like that Arizona makes them earn their keep! Welcome home, Judy!!

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  7. I love the Dodge City McDonalds; how cool! And the tumbleweeds -- I've always wanted to see the real thing. Great pictures.

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  8. Wow, the places you have been! The collage is great. Love it!
    I have seen that McDonald's in Asheville from the outside. Quite a step up from most McDonald's. I didn't realize you'd been to Asheville. We are about 2 hours from there.
    I look forward to hearing more about your travels. You have a way of making the most interesting travel posts.
    Welcome home.

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  9. I'll bet you have all kinds of interesting stories to tell. The road crew uniforms are quite something.

    Home is a wonderful place to be.

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  10. There's no place like home! I like the BC sign and I liked the Virginia and West Virginia signs. We have a Maine woman who was lost this summer on The Appalachian Trail very close to being home, too. She's not been found. Glad that you only took a brief trek!

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  11. I sense you are happy to be home again. It' always interesting to see what amuses each person via travels. You have accomplished and reached a milestone goal. And you will always be happy to look back at your memories.

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  12. Welcome back home! I love you collage of state signs..I always find that fun to do when I travel. I saw a tumbleweed go across the road here in Colorado today on our way to Denver --it was a surprise! Our weather has been quite nice but dry, dry, dry. We need rain or snow soon. Luckily the mountains have been getting their average snowfall and the skiing should begin soon.

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  13. I have thoroughly enjoyed your journey, and cannot thank you enough for sharing it with us. So many fun and interesting facts shared. I too, just read "Fifty Shades of Grace", and really liked it.
    I am sure you welcomed all the signs of home as you traveled the last few miles.

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  14. How fun and such a variety of sights! I sometimes wonder at folks who travel to far away places then block out where they are by reading a book. Why not just stay home and read?
    Now reading in Palm Springs makes perfect sense to me...there isn't all that much to see there and soaking up some sunshine while reading a good book is a perfectly relaxing combo.

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'The ornament of a house is the friends who frequent it.'
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson