2022 Synopsis
We started this grand adventure of a lifetime immediately after Mark retired from TVA. Lisa loves to tell people, "We retired June 6th and we hit the road June 7th". Ethel (RV) carried us for 7,184 miles from June 7 to December 16 (when we returned for the holidays), While in the area, we will make a stop in Memphis. We will have Ethel serviced, Karma sees the vet, and we visit our doctors/dentist for our annual visits. We tried to schedule as much "maintenance" as possible into a short trip. Next year, we should be able to do most of the routine stuff in Chattanooga rather than Memphis. Once we transfer all of our medical care back to Chattanooga, that will sever our last ties with Memphis.
Ethel was not our only mode of transportation. During our travels, we drove Fred (Chevy Equinox) 10,471 miles, rode our bikes over 400 miles, hiked an unknown number of miles, went on several boat and bus tours, took the train from Utica, NY to NYC, and rode the subways and Metros in multiple cities. Lisa even took a plane ride back to Nashville to celebrate our grandchild's first birthday. It was our version of the movie Planes, Trains and Automobiles.
We got the opportunity to visit family and friends along our way. During this first six months, we saw our kids, a brother, cousins, nephews and nieces. We spent time with friends, including 2 families we have known for 40+ years. After 40 years, we consider them family. We got to spend 4 days in NYC with our daughter and son in law. In addition, we made new friends in our travels. We plan to visit as many family and friends as we can during our adventures. It does not always work out like we hope, but we will definitely try.
One of the most common questions we get asked is, "where did you like best?" What did you like the best? We struggle with that question. Karma on the other hand has a quick response. Anywhere there was water to play in, he was one happy dog. Of course that changed when we got to the coast and he discovered salt water. He learned quickly that he just does not enjoy drinking it but he still loves to play in it. We jokingly say he likes to identify as a Labrador. He has battled ear problems courtesy of his escapades in the water. He also battled some pretty serious diarrhea from the tannins in the water up north. Until you have traveled in a tin can with a 100lb dog with explosive diarrhea, you cannot fully appreciate the full impact it.
To answer that question, we have to elaborate a bit. We cannot give one simple, definitive answer, so let's try to answer that question.
Our favorite campground was Crooked River State Park in Kingsland, GA. The RV sites were huge with full hookups. It was easily one of our favorite campgrounds, but there was not a lot to do in the area.
Victoria Bryant State Park in Royston, GA was also a nice park. We camped there late in the season, so there were very few other campers there. It was also convenient to our nephew Zach and Bettina, which is why we were in that area.
Our favorite State Park would be definitely be Letchworth State Park Park in Castille, NY. The campground itself was only okay, since we only had 30 Amps service and no sewer or water. The park more than made up for that though. It has been voted as the best state park in the nation multiple times. The park itself is fantastic. It is a must see for anyone visiting that area. We spent nearly a week hiking and biking in the park and still did not see it all. There was not a lot to do in the immediate area outside the park, but we were more than content enjoying the mild weather and the incredible outdoors,
Picking our favorite city is almost impossible.
New York City was very enjoyable and an amazing place. Megan and Adrian flew up to visit with us- that made the location all the better.
At the 9-11 memorial, we saw this last known picture of the Twin Towers prior to the attack.
We toured Central Park with Megan and Adrian.
We saw Lady Liberty on a boat tour.
We went a taping of Lisa's favorite news show. (Not really her favorite show, but Mark loves to tease her about it.)
We toured Central Park by ourselves before the kids arrived. We hired a rickshaw tour guide- it was pricey but well worth the money.
Boston was special in many ways, The history of the city and the architecture was amazing. We were able to walk the paths of our country's fore fathers. We also were able to tour the USS Constitution, the oldest commissioned war ship in the world.
Lisa was in front of the USS Constitution stopping for a photo op.
The building covering Plymouth Rock was much more impressive than the rock itself. (Plymouth Rock itself was anti climactic. It is a rock.)
A reproduction of the Mayflower is in the harbor near Plymouth Rock. It was not open for tours when we visited.
This whale followed our tour boat, It was an amazing experience.
Lisa found a blue fin tuna on our tour of the harbor after our whale watching experience. We watch the TV show Wicked Tuna, so we know all about these big boys. There was actually a store on the harbor selling souvenirs for many of the boats and captains on the show. Unfortunately, we did not bump into any of the guys on the show but we did see several of their boats.
We saw Paul Revere's Tomb with a medallion of the Boston Tea Party in a cemetery full of other major historical figures. It is pretty crazy to see the graves of such famous figures in the history of our nation which we have read about our whole lives.
We toured Philadelphia with a fantastic tour guide, Harry Maier (Mark's old navy buddy). We saw Navy vessels and the major landmarks from the 1700's. After a day in the city, we had a nice dinner at a little local family run Italian restaurant with Harry and Debbie.
This is where the casket of the WWI Unknown Soldier was located while in transit from France to Washington DC on the USS Olympia. They keep fresh flowers on the memorial to honor the Unknown Soldier's journey.
Lisa and Mark are by the USS Becuna sail. We toured the ship and the museum,
Just a couple of old sailors, Harry and Mark, bonding by the USS Becuna sail and telling 40 year old navy stories.
Mark and Lisa are by the Liberty Bell.
Independence Hall is where the Second Continental Congress signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776. We did not have time to tour the inside, unfortunately.
Six of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence are buried at Christ Church Burial Ground in Philadelphia.
Washington DC was the last major city we toured. We stayed about 12 miles outside of downtown and used our electric bikes to get to town and back daily. It was an amazing adventure. The bikes were the perfect means of transportation to maximize our time. The history and the architecture were phenomenal. We saw all the major landmarks and historical places, but there was not enough time to tour all the places.
We visited many national parks- our favorites were Acadia, Picture Rocks and Apostle Islands.
The Apostle Islands are off the coast of Lake Superior in Wisconsin.
Lisa was clearing one of our hiking paths while Karma supervised!!!
The water movement on Lake Superior abuses and carves out the rocks. The water is continually eating away at the shoreline. The result is stunning. We took a boat tour of the area.
Picture Rocks National Park is on the North shoreline of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
A few of the many waterfalls we saw in the Picture Rocks area. We took a boat tour to see these amazing formations.
This was probably the most unique lighthouse we saw.
Lovers Leap is one of the most recognized formations at Painted Rocks.
Chapel rock, a famous spot in Michigan, has a white pine on top of the rock and the roots run over to land on the left. This is a perfect example of survival of the fittest and adapting to your environment. Nature is truly an amazing thing.
Acadia National Park, located in Maine, is famous for its shorelines and hiking paths. Carriage Paths created and funded by JD Rockefeller run throughout the park. We travelled about 40 miles on our e-bikes on the carriage paths. The e-bikes continue to be a valuable asset.
We stopped for lunch after travelling about 20 of the 40 miles of Carriage Paths that we rode on one afternoon.
We reached this point of Valley Peak via the St. Sauveur trail. It was a tough hike at times scrambling on the rocks. The poles came in handy on this hike. A great hike is one we finish without any injuries.
Lisa trying to get Bubble Rock moving downhill. LOL!!! That is one very huge rock perched precariously on the edge of a very steep cliff. It defies all laws of physics. I would not want to be in its path when it eventually falls over the edge.
The hiking crew taking a break at different points on the Bubble Rock trail. We logged some serious miles hiking. A year or two ago, I could not remotely imagine being healthy enough to physically do all we are doing. We want to see and do all we can while we can.
Lisa at Thunder Hole in Bar Harbor Maine in Acadia.
Lisa is still appalled by the cost of a lobster roll. This one was $38! Every time she tells the story, she says, "It's on a Hotdog Bun!" Mark could seriously eat 2-3 of these easily. We had been told this place had the best lobster rolls in the state- so we felt obligated to go. We got this one roll and a bowl of clam chowder and the bill was about $75 with a tip. We stopped for food after we left the park because we were still hungry.
Lisa has been a very good sport as I tour submarines, Navy vessels, military museums and battle sites. We have actually found some really interesting military memorials/museums along our journey. Lisa has decided she was in no way cut out for life aboard a submarine. She is fine touring them as long as she is assured she can exit after the tour. Life in our RV is total luxury and spacious comparatively. Our RV would house 40-50 sailors and all their gear when compared to submarine living quarters. Our RV barely houses Lisa's shoe and purse collection.
Gettysburg Battlefields are an amazing place to visit. At the 75th Anniversary of the Battle Franklin, Delano Roosevelt performed the Dedication of the Civil War Memorial. It was reported that there were a thousand veterans present that actually fought at the Battle. We are only now a little over 150 years since the Battle occurred. There are literally hundreds of monuments at Gettysburg. Our friends Gretchen and Ryan met us in Gettysburg for a few days, but we somehow forgot to get any pictures.
Most states have contributed a memorial to the soldiers from their state who fought in the war. This one is the Virginia Memorial.
Pennsylvania dedicated the largest memorial to their soldiers. This thing is massive.
Civil War memorial with the eternal flame in memory of all who were lost.
Lisa shaking hands with Dwight D Eisenhower.
Lisa sat for a spell with Abe Lincoln.
We toured the USS Silversides SS 236 in Muskegon, Michigan.
The USS Nautilus SSN 571 is in New London, CT. USS Nautilus was the first nuclear submarine.
We also toured the USS Becuna SS-319 and USS Olympia C-6 in Philadelphia, the USS Yorktown CV-10 and the USS Laffey DD-724 in Charleston SC.
We timed our trip to follow the fall colors in New England and down the coast.
The pictures do not do the beauty of the fall color justice. We look at the pictures and they are a reminder of what we saw in person.
We cannot forget Niagara Falls.
We were blessed to see this amazing sunrise in Myrtle Beach SC.
We have tried to recap the past 6 months but we fail overall in the effort. We saw so many beautiful places and were amazed at so many things that even this synopsis leaves many items out. We are excited about our travels that will be starting again in a few weeks. It is hard to leave family and friends but the adventure we are on is also exciting.
