Happy New Year!

From the San Antonio River Walk

Balcones Canyonlands Preserve

Ok, so it's not the Grand Canyon, but it was -24 degrees there this morning! This is Hamilton Pool, west of Austin, TX. Forecasting a high of 70 in San Antonio. Guess where I'm going!

It's the Pits

Driftwood, TX (outside Austin) would not be worth a second glance if it weren't for the sprawling operation of The Salt Lick BBQ.  There were hundreds of people there. Had a really nice dinner last night with neices Danielle, Allysa, and their mom Pat  Yum!

The Brochure Didn't Lie

Having so much fun, I am falling behind on my blogging.  Tuesday morning I found the perfect treat after ten days on the road. The brochure said "The Buckstaff Experience: Relief, Rejuvenation, Relaxation" and it was spot on:  two hours of pampering - bath, steam, hot towel wrap, massage - courtesy of Mother Nature at the last operating natural mineral springs bathhouse in Hot Springs, Arkansas.  Backed up to the hillside where pure mineral water heated to 140 degrees was piped in and right in the heart of the historic downtown business district, the beautifully restored bathhouse buildings (collectively known as Bathhouse Row) still remain and are now owned and maintained by the National Park Service.  A step back in time and a real treat at half the cost of a day spa!

Camping in downtown Dallas

Note to RV Wannabes: Walmart allows overnight RV parking. Security and 24-hr shopping included... Pure marketing genius!

Gardens at Philbrook Art Museum, Tulsa, OK

Next, in search of the ultimate Texas BBQ...

Hot Springs National Park, AR

Camped nearby last night. Next to Tulsa, OK to see brother Bruce and Kathy.

Wanted in All 50 States

Mick's Kinfolk: James, Sharla with
Bret, Kerrigan, Jacob, and Christian on the run.

I had heard the stories...  Some called her the Queen of Confection, others, the Master of Meringue, and still to others she was know only as the spritz-gun slinging Dough Ranger.  Kinfolk would come from far and wide just to see the spectacle of the largest, most fiercesome cookie party this side of the Mississippi.  But I had to see it for myself to believe it.  33, count 'em, 33 different varieties: sugars, bars, iced, spiced, chipped, dipped.  It was indeed a spectable to behold.  The kids were in sugar high heaven!  Too bad the "mice" got into everything.

Kent: Be Warned!  I think Peggy has given you a run for your cookie money.  Anyone up for a COOKIE THROWDOWN at the next family reunion?  

I headed off for the Ozarks at sun up on Monday in the "Patti Wagon" with all the leftovers I could steal.

A rare glimpse at the elusive Dough Ranger (Sister Peggy)
and her trusty side-Mick,
last seen in Hattiesburg, MS on Monday morning. 

Westward Ho

Just left my sister's in Hattiesburg, MS. Heading to Hot Springs, Arkansas to camp. Missed the first snow back home! Dang!? More on Peggy's legendary cookie party tonight...

Merry Christmas to all...

... and to all a Good Night!

Great Friends, Food and Frolic

Susie, Andrew, Nicole and Brando

Arrived in Mexico Beach, FL, Thursday after dark to warm Gulf breezes and spent the day Friday exploring the area with another great friend from Florida -- Susie -- who (like Evan - See: "Southern Hospitality") I also met through Tim's work at The Nature Conservancy.  

St. Joseph Peninsula State Park



Not a single restaurant was open for lunch on Friday, so we went home and I was treated to gourmet hors d'oeuvers and cocktails.  Always up for a party, I came prepared with the ingredients for a drink that my college friends and I had invented back in the day.  We called it the "F*** Pig":  1 part vodka, 1 part tonic, add a spoonful of Tang - down the hatch while it's still fizzing!  Could that be Springstein in the background?



Merry Christmas everyone!

Made it to the Gulf

The Arts in Atlanta

Quick lunch stop in downtown Atlanta on my way south yesterday. Salvadore Dali exhibit at the High Museum of Art is a "must see" for you surrealist fans.  They actually had his most famous painting, "The Persistence of Memory" (below) on exhibit.

Metal sculpture outside the performing arts center - detail at right

Lake Hartwell, SC

Camped near Lake Hartwell,(at right) just outside Anderson, SC, last night.  The man-made lake was built by the Army Corps of Engineers in the late 1950s/early 1960s for hydropower.  Once I set up camp and de-winterized the camper, I headed to the local marina, where I met the "Boys Night Out" gang (shown above).  These guys have been meeting here every week for 15 years; their common bond is boating on the lake and sharing fish stories. Shrimp cakes from the hearth room oven at the Galley Restaurant were oustanding.  Beautiful place - definitely worth a return trip!

Southern Hospitality

Arrived in Winston-Salem, NC, last night to visit  Evan (Tim's and my friend from Florida).  His lovely wife Audra treated me to an amazing home cooked meal.  This morning, I got a driving tour of the Moravian settlement of Old Salem - which is very much like Colonial Williamsburg (who knew?), and them we went to Ollie's Bakery in Winston-Salem for some crazy/awesome baked goods and coffee, before I got back in the 'turtle car' and headed out.

I also had the pleasure of meeting one of their daughters, Erica, who is a senior in high school and a very talented artist.  (One of her recent works is shown above.)  Thanks for everything guys!

Rambling through Virginia

Here's just a hodge-podge of shots from yesterday's travels.  More on my awesome visit with Evan's family in Winston-Salem, NC later tonight.  Off to find dinner....

Artwork in window of Wonder Skateboard Shop, Harrisonburg

Absolutely beautiful St. Andrews Catholic Cathedral, Roanoke

Outstanding Mexican food at Alejandro's, in downtown Roanoke

War-free fuel:  BioDiesel Truck Stop, Bassett, VA

Near Raphine, VA

Lancaster Area Tour



Exterior of convention center with historic house (left) "encased."



Back of house from inside Convention Center





Had a delightful visit with Kent and Kathy who live just outside Lancaster.  A study in contrasts: Drove past  Amish farms and QVC's warehouse headquarters, and walked around a beautiful historic downtown with markets, an arts district with recently restored Fulton Theater at its core, and a brand new convention center. 

The local landmarks commission made the developer save this building dating from the early 1800s  [July 2008, Lancaster Living: New life for an old house].  So they literally wrapped the convention center atrium around it.

Thanks guys for the great meals, tour, hospitality and Kent's infamous cookies...already made a pretty good dent in them! 

Rolled into a camp ground in the Shenandoah Valley at dusk... a few inches of snow still on the ground from last week's storm.  Heat is working fine so far, but at least a 'two' if not a 'three' kitty night.  [Just found a great website -- Rock Band - Name Origins  Three Dog Night: Inspired by an Australian Aboriginal custom of sleeping with a dog for warmth on a cold night.]



Blog via phone email

Try to blog via email while filling up at a Flying J trucker stop outside Harrisburg. Can't type too well on the phone, so will try and find Internet later to post pictures of my Lancaster walking tour with Kent and Kathy.
Blue Ridge mts next.

...Go!

My Temporary Digs

Picked up the RV today... guess I am really doing this.

Journey begins officially tomorrow:  heading out for Pennsylvania Dutch Country to visit my brother Kent and his wife Kathy.

Ready, Set...

Decided to rent a camper and head somewhere for a few weeks with the cats this holiday season.  Sign at the RV place below - seems like the perfect image to start this journey...

"We find after years of struggle that we do not take a trip; a trip takes us. ...The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it." from John Steinbeck's "Travels with Charley, In Search of America." 

At the suggestions of some real nice folks from the New Jersey Conservation Foundation, I took this book and "Blue Highways" by William Least Heat-Moon, out of the library to read along the way.