Saturday the 31st -- Happy Halloween
We got a good start this morning, on the road by 8:05 AM. The roads were damp and there was a persistent mist in the air, but it was mostly smooth sailing. Not too much to report. I drove for three hours, Tina drove for four hours, the kids slept most of the way - except when Punky got excited and tried to get Wicket interested in playing “Growl” on my lap. That went on for about fifteen minutes then they both got sent to the back seat - heh, heh.
We got into Tallahassee around 3:30 PM, got a room in the La Quinta and took a break for awhile. We went next door to Julia’s Restaurant around 6:00 PM - Tina hd a great Beef Stroganoff and I had Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf. Everything was great!! After dinner we watched a little TV, read some and called it a night.
Distance traveled today, 440 miles. Total for the trip so far, 3,392 miles.
No photos today.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Friday, October 30, 2009
Georgetown to Baton Rouge
Friday the 30th
A lazy morning. The kids were all tuckered out from yesterday so it was nearly 7:30 AM before we woke up. By then Bill had the coffee going and Vi was getting breakfast started. We had a nice relaxing get-up then enjoyed a wonderful breakfast of Eggs Benedict with fresh fruit and coffee - Yumm, Yummmm!!!
Eventually we had to say goodbye and get back on the road. With directions from Bill and several beautiful gifts from Vi we made it to the freeway and headed south towards I-10. It’s a nice morning, about 60 degrees and with a high overcast. Traffic is nearly non existent on the toll road so we make great time bypassing Austin to the east.
After paying one final toll we left the freeway and headed south-east on Texas 183 arriving at I-10 forty miles later. As we head towards Houston the sky continued to darken but we managed to slide through Houston with little trafficand no rain. But it started to sprinkle when we stopped for gas and a bite to eat and started coming down pretty heavy as we headed up the entrance ramp.
Once we got back on the freeway the rain came down pretty steady but it wasn’t until we crossed the Louisiana state line that it got really nasty. At times we could barely see 200 feet ahead and traffic slowed to under fifty mph. As we came to Lake Charles the rain had pretty much quit, or so we thought. But we were in for a surprise!
Nearing Lafayette the rain started to come down in buckets, then in torrents, finally there was so much rain coming down, even with the windshield wipers on “race” (really fast - heheheh), visibility was down to thirty feet or less. And it stayed that way for the next forty miles. What made it worse is that traffic was very heavy and nobody wanted to slow down below fifty mph. I’ve never seen that much water come down that fast and for so long. By the time it let up we were five miles from Baton Rouge and it was rush hour, so everything came to a slow crawl until we crossed the Mississippi and made our exit.
We pulled into another La Quinta, got our room and took the dogs for a walk. Then we took everything into the room where we found out we had a leak around the seal of the canopy door. Tina’s suitcase and travel bag were soaked. She managed to salvage a few dry items for tomorrow and draped everything else everywhere about the room to dry. Then we went to dinner and had a couple of great barbecue sandwiches - I had pulled pork and Tina had pork brisket. For desert we had a great apple cobbler a la mode with two spoons - ummmm, ummmm good!!
By the time we got back to our room it was nearly 8:00 PM so we watched TV for a while, took the kids out one last time and turned out the lights.
Distance traveled today, 445 miles. Total for the trip so far, 2,952 miles.
No photos today.
A lazy morning. The kids were all tuckered out from yesterday so it was nearly 7:30 AM before we woke up. By then Bill had the coffee going and Vi was getting breakfast started. We had a nice relaxing get-up then enjoyed a wonderful breakfast of Eggs Benedict with fresh fruit and coffee - Yumm, Yummmm!!!
Eventually we had to say goodbye and get back on the road. With directions from Bill and several beautiful gifts from Vi we made it to the freeway and headed south towards I-10. It’s a nice morning, about 60 degrees and with a high overcast. Traffic is nearly non existent on the toll road so we make great time bypassing Austin to the east.
After paying one final toll we left the freeway and headed south-east on Texas 183 arriving at I-10 forty miles later. As we head towards Houston the sky continued to darken but we managed to slide through Houston with little trafficand no rain. But it started to sprinkle when we stopped for gas and a bite to eat and started coming down pretty heavy as we headed up the entrance ramp.
Once we got back on the freeway the rain came down pretty steady but it wasn’t until we crossed the Louisiana state line that it got really nasty. At times we could barely see 200 feet ahead and traffic slowed to under fifty mph. As we came to Lake Charles the rain had pretty much quit, or so we thought. But we were in for a surprise!
Nearing Lafayette the rain started to come down in buckets, then in torrents, finally there was so much rain coming down, even with the windshield wipers on “race” (really fast - heheheh), visibility was down to thirty feet or less. And it stayed that way for the next forty miles. What made it worse is that traffic was very heavy and nobody wanted to slow down below fifty mph. I’ve never seen that much water come down that fast and for so long. By the time it let up we were five miles from Baton Rouge and it was rush hour, so everything came to a slow crawl until we crossed the Mississippi and made our exit.
We pulled into another La Quinta, got our room and took the dogs for a walk. Then we took everything into the room where we found out we had a leak around the seal of the canopy door. Tina’s suitcase and travel bag were soaked. She managed to salvage a few dry items for tomorrow and draped everything else everywhere about the room to dry. Then we went to dinner and had a couple of great barbecue sandwiches - I had pulled pork and Tina had pork brisket. For desert we had a great apple cobbler a la mode with two spoons - ummmm, ummmm good!!
By the time we got back to our room it was nearly 8:00 PM so we watched TV for a while, took the kids out one last time and turned out the lights.
Distance traveled today, 445 miles. Total for the trip so far, 2,952 miles.
No photos today.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Ft Stockton to Georgetown
Thursday the 29th
It’s 0’dark thirty and Punky is ready to go out. I manage to open my eyes enough to pull on my jeans, put on a Tee shirt and grab the leashes. Once outside, we waltz across the parking lot where the girls do their thing while I freeze my butt off. Turns out the wind is blowing about thirty mph and the temperature is hovering around 40 degrees. I am drastically underdressed. Fortunately we made it back to the room before I lost an extremity to freezing.
By now Tina is up so we packed the truck and went over for another continental breakfast before putting the bikes on the truck and heading out. We have a short day, we’re driving to Gorton (20 miles north of Austin) to visit Bill and Violet. Bill is one of Tina’s cousins.
As we started out there was a huge black cloud on the horizon with several bands of rain clouds above it. As the sun came up behind the black cloud it lit up the undersides of the rain clouds turning them pink and eventually, the rain falling from the clouds along with the clouds themselves turned a vibrant pink. We never did se the sun rise but after passing underneath the rain clouds we looked behind us to see a brilliant double rainbow!!
We continued east on I-10 to the small town of Junction where we hooked up with US 377 heading north. Forty miles later, at Mason, we turned onto Texas 29 for the next 80 miles arriving at our destination about 2:00 PM. The sun was shining and it was about 65 degrees out - nice!
Bill and Violet greeted us warmly and showed to our room while the kids got to meet Zeke, a 12 year old miniature Schnauzer. It was so nice out we went out on the deck and chatted for an hour before coming in to look at photos of recent trips. Sometime later Vi prepared Texas Tacos and we tucked into a great meal.
After dinner we continued our visit while watching game two of the World Series. As always we had a great time with Bill and Vi.
Distance for today, 350 miles. Total for the trip so far, 2,507 miles.
No photos today.
It’s 0’dark thirty and Punky is ready to go out. I manage to open my eyes enough to pull on my jeans, put on a Tee shirt and grab the leashes. Once outside, we waltz across the parking lot where the girls do their thing while I freeze my butt off. Turns out the wind is blowing about thirty mph and the temperature is hovering around 40 degrees. I am drastically underdressed. Fortunately we made it back to the room before I lost an extremity to freezing.
By now Tina is up so we packed the truck and went over for another continental breakfast before putting the bikes on the truck and heading out. We have a short day, we’re driving to Gorton (20 miles north of Austin) to visit Bill and Violet. Bill is one of Tina’s cousins.
As we started out there was a huge black cloud on the horizon with several bands of rain clouds above it. As the sun came up behind the black cloud it lit up the undersides of the rain clouds turning them pink and eventually, the rain falling from the clouds along with the clouds themselves turned a vibrant pink. We never did se the sun rise but after passing underneath the rain clouds we looked behind us to see a brilliant double rainbow!!
We continued east on I-10 to the small town of Junction where we hooked up with US 377 heading north. Forty miles later, at Mason, we turned onto Texas 29 for the next 80 miles arriving at our destination about 2:00 PM. The sun was shining and it was about 65 degrees out - nice!
Bill and Violet greeted us warmly and showed to our room while the kids got to meet Zeke, a 12 year old miniature Schnauzer. It was so nice out we went out on the deck and chatted for an hour before coming in to look at photos of recent trips. Sometime later Vi prepared Texas Tacos and we tucked into a great meal.
After dinner we continued our visit while watching game two of the World Series. As always we had a great time with Bill and Vi.
Distance for today, 350 miles. Total for the trip so far, 2,507 miles.
No photos today.
Tucson to Ft Stockton
Wednesday the 28th
We knew it was going to be a long drive today so we were up by 5:30 AM. I got the dogs walked and fed while Tina got stuff packed up. We took most of our gear down to the truck along with the kids then went back for a continental breakfast. Then it was back up to the room for the bikes, down the elevator and out to the truck to finish loading. We were on the road by 6:45 AM headed for Ft Stockton, Texas.
It was cold when we left Tucson and got on I-10 East. After about 100 miles we started getting light rain, just enough to make things slippery and keep the windshield wipers working. By noon when we stopped for lunch the sun wasout and the rain disappeared making the drive much more enjoyable.
The scenery is interesting but bleak - not a lot of stuff growing other than mesquite. But it’s fun trying to decipher the geology of the land as we went through the cuts in the hills. Some places look like shale, some volcanic and others limestone. Some formations are flat, parallel to the ground, some are tilted and broken from erosion, some are folded up, some folded down. And one formation is very strange, a series of big rounded rocks, boulders really, sitting on top of each other, looking like giant cairns.
Passing through El Paso we were surprised at how big the city is, seeming to stretch for 15 miles along the freeway. Of course, it’s like Seattle-Tacoma where one city seems to merge into another, but it still seemed to go on forever.
Switching drivers after lunch, Tina powered us down the highway for the next 200 miles then we switched back for the last 100 miles into Ft Stockton. Once we got our room and unloaded the truck, we went downtown to a Mexican Steakhouse for dinner. Interesting, but I wouldn’t submit it to the Food Network for a segment on Guy’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.
After dinner we relaxed and made our plans for the next day before calling it a night.
Distance for today, 556 miles. Total for the trip so far, 2,157 miles.
No photos today.
We knew it was going to be a long drive today so we were up by 5:30 AM. I got the dogs walked and fed while Tina got stuff packed up. We took most of our gear down to the truck along with the kids then went back for a continental breakfast. Then it was back up to the room for the bikes, down the elevator and out to the truck to finish loading. We were on the road by 6:45 AM headed for Ft Stockton, Texas.
It was cold when we left Tucson and got on I-10 East. After about 100 miles we started getting light rain, just enough to make things slippery and keep the windshield wipers working. By noon when we stopped for lunch the sun wasout and the rain disappeared making the drive much more enjoyable.
The scenery is interesting but bleak - not a lot of stuff growing other than mesquite. But it’s fun trying to decipher the geology of the land as we went through the cuts in the hills. Some places look like shale, some volcanic and others limestone. Some formations are flat, parallel to the ground, some are tilted and broken from erosion, some are folded up, some folded down. And one formation is very strange, a series of big rounded rocks, boulders really, sitting on top of each other, looking like giant cairns.
Passing through El Paso we were surprised at how big the city is, seeming to stretch for 15 miles along the freeway. Of course, it’s like Seattle-Tacoma where one city seems to merge into another, but it still seemed to go on forever.
Switching drivers after lunch, Tina powered us down the highway for the next 200 miles then we switched back for the last 100 miles into Ft Stockton. Once we got our room and unloaded the truck, we went downtown to a Mexican Steakhouse for dinner. Interesting, but I wouldn’t submit it to the Food Network for a segment on Guy’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.
After dinner we relaxed and made our plans for the next day before calling it a night.
Distance for today, 556 miles. Total for the trip so far, 2,157 miles.
No photos today.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Arcadia to Tucson
Tuesday the 27th
Morning came bright and early as the kids clammered to go for their morning walk! With that taken care of we finished up in the room, packed the truck, loaded the bikes and headed for Denny’s and a light breakfast. As soon as we finished breakfast we got gas and once again headed off into the sunrise.
Traffic on the 210 out to Redlands was insane - pushing 80 mph in all four lanes with cars and big trucks making lane changes and generally creating a lot of anxiety. But we managed to keep up and after we got about twenty miles out the traffic thinned out and we could hold a steady 75 to 80 to the junction with I-10.
Once we hit I-10 Tina was able to catch a few Zzzz’s until we got to Blythe where I pulled off for gas. Once we took the dogs for a walk and finished gassing up we went down the street to KFC and grabbed a couple of lunches to go. Then it was back on the road while Tina ate her lunch. Reaching Quartzsite where I pulled off and we switched drivers so I could eat.
As soon as Tina took over I ate then pulled out the NetBook and plugged it in to our power outlet. As soon as it powered up I logged onto the net and opened my email to answer a couple notes and check the map. The power of technology, I found a route around Phoenix, located a pet friendly hotel in Tucson and made a reservation - all without leaving the passenger seat, traveling down the highway at 80 mph. Wayyy Coooool!!
We got to the Phoenix By-Pass and turned south. In the distance were huge dust storms blowing along the hills. As we got further south the air turned a dusty yellow and periodically sand was blowing across the highway. Thirty-five miles later, at Gila Bend, we connected with I-8 and started the sixty mile drive east to I-10 watching blowing dust all the way.
Merging onto I-10 for the sixty-five mile leg to Tucson Tina pointed out how bleak and forbidding the landscape appeared and we talked about what it would have been like for the pioneers coming west. Just as we concluded how fortunate we were in comparison, the dust storms descended on us and visibility dropped to almost nothing. We managed to slow way down only to see a big semi disappear right in front of us. It went on like this for another forty miles until everything came to a complete stop.
We turned off the engine and sat for over an hour before traffic finally got started again. Five mile later we saw the cause of the problem - a big semi had been blown off the road and plowed head first into a sand bank jack-knifing the trailer across both lanes of traffic. We figure it happened some time before we pulled off for our lunch break because it takes time to get big wreckers to the site of the crash and get everything cleared.
With the excitement over - heh, heh - we cruised into Tucson to the Hampton Inn where we made camp for the night. Nice room, Tina gets a king size bed tonight instead of a double. With everything settled we ordered subs from Subway for delivery to our room - dinner, and we didn’t even have to leave our room. Dinner over the dogs got their walk and we settled in for the night.
Distance today, 488 miles. Total for the trip so far, 1,601 miles.
No photos today.
Morning came bright and early as the kids clammered to go for their morning walk! With that taken care of we finished up in the room, packed the truck, loaded the bikes and headed for Denny’s and a light breakfast. As soon as we finished breakfast we got gas and once again headed off into the sunrise.
Traffic on the 210 out to Redlands was insane - pushing 80 mph in all four lanes with cars and big trucks making lane changes and generally creating a lot of anxiety. But we managed to keep up and after we got about twenty miles out the traffic thinned out and we could hold a steady 75 to 80 to the junction with I-10.
Once we hit I-10 Tina was able to catch a few Zzzz’s until we got to Blythe where I pulled off for gas. Once we took the dogs for a walk and finished gassing up we went down the street to KFC and grabbed a couple of lunches to go. Then it was back on the road while Tina ate her lunch. Reaching Quartzsite where I pulled off and we switched drivers so I could eat.
As soon as Tina took over I ate then pulled out the NetBook and plugged it in to our power outlet. As soon as it powered up I logged onto the net and opened my email to answer a couple notes and check the map. The power of technology, I found a route around Phoenix, located a pet friendly hotel in Tucson and made a reservation - all without leaving the passenger seat, traveling down the highway at 80 mph. Wayyy Coooool!!
We got to the Phoenix By-Pass and turned south. In the distance were huge dust storms blowing along the hills. As we got further south the air turned a dusty yellow and periodically sand was blowing across the highway. Thirty-five miles later, at Gila Bend, we connected with I-8 and started the sixty mile drive east to I-10 watching blowing dust all the way.
Merging onto I-10 for the sixty-five mile leg to Tucson Tina pointed out how bleak and forbidding the landscape appeared and we talked about what it would have been like for the pioneers coming west. Just as we concluded how fortunate we were in comparison, the dust storms descended on us and visibility dropped to almost nothing. We managed to slow way down only to see a big semi disappear right in front of us. It went on like this for another forty miles until everything came to a complete stop.
We turned off the engine and sat for over an hour before traffic finally got started again. Five mile later we saw the cause of the problem - a big semi had been blown off the road and plowed head first into a sand bank jack-knifing the trailer across both lanes of traffic. We figure it happened some time before we pulled off for our lunch break because it takes time to get big wreckers to the site of the crash and get everything cleared.
With the excitement over - heh, heh - we cruised into Tucson to the Hampton Inn where we made camp for the night. Nice room, Tina gets a king size bed tonight instead of a double. With everything settled we ordered subs from Subway for delivery to our room - dinner, and we didn’t even have to leave our room. Dinner over the dogs got their walk and we settled in for the night.
Distance today, 488 miles. Total for the trip so far, 1,601 miles.
No photos today.
Redding to Arcadia
Monday the 26th
Well, I found the answer to one question… Yes, the “Punky” alarm is still working! It’s 6:00 AM and time to get up. Beautiful morning with the sun peeking over the eastern horizon. With the dogs walked and fed, Tina and I took care of our morning ablutions, loaded the truck and walked over to Denny’s for breakfast. Then it was a quick fuel stop and onto I-5 south.
I drove for a couple of hours then traded with Tina south of Fresno. Traffic was light and we continue to make good time.. I had thought we would stay overnight in Bakersfield, but we decided to continue south. We went up and over the grapevine with very heavy traffic then caught the 210 for the run out to Arcadia where we were staying the night.
We pulled into the Motel 6, got our room and called our friends Don & Diane. They only live about ten miles away. They came up and joined us for dinner and a visit. After saying good-bye we walked back to our room, watched a little TV and called it a night.
Distance today - 553 miles, total for the trip so far 1,113 miles.
No photos today.
Well, I found the answer to one question… Yes, the “Punky” alarm is still working! It’s 6:00 AM and time to get up. Beautiful morning with the sun peeking over the eastern horizon. With the dogs walked and fed, Tina and I took care of our morning ablutions, loaded the truck and walked over to Denny’s for breakfast. Then it was a quick fuel stop and onto I-5 south.
I drove for a couple of hours then traded with Tina south of Fresno. Traffic was light and we continue to make good time.. I had thought we would stay overnight in Bakersfield, but we decided to continue south. We went up and over the grapevine with very heavy traffic then caught the 210 for the run out to Arcadia where we were staying the night.
We pulled into the Motel 6, got our room and called our friends Don & Diane. They only live about ten miles away. They came up and joined us for dinner and a visit. After saying good-bye we walked back to our room, watched a little TV and called it a night.
Distance today - 553 miles, total for the trip so far 1,113 miles.
No photos today.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
The Adventure Continues
ON THE ROAD WITH MIKE AND TINA
Once again Tina and I are heading off into the wild blue yonder. Even though we've only been home a few weeks after returning from our trip to Europe, we are off to Florida to pick up our new motor home. We left home early Thursday morning after a stressful Wednesday, packing and unpacking the truck with all our RV gear, clothes, bedding, dog food, etc. It was nip and tuck whether we'd get it all in, but eventually everything fit.
Crossing over to the other side on the 7:00 AM ferry, we made our appointment at the U of W then drove to Maple Valley where we checked out a couple of properties we're interested in. After a quick lunch at Jersey Mike's Subs in Covington (very good) we tootled on down the freeway to Lakewood for a couple of nights.
Friday night we are celebrating our Granddaughter Emma's 11th birthday. Saturday we'll visit with family and Sunday morning we start our drive to Florida.
Sunday the 25th
Up at 6:00 AM to walk the dogs, we managed to load the truck, get a bite to eat, grab a cup of coffee and say goodbye to family all before 8:00 AM when we rolled out of Lakewood to start our drive to Florida.
Misty but otherwise dry, I-5 was busy for a Sunday morning but not crowded. We made it down to Portland and on to Springfield when Tina suggested we check the weather in the Siskyous. Originally we planned to head over to the coast and drive down 101 to avoid any winter storms. Using our NetBook, Tina logged on to the internet and checked the weather for Grants Pass and Shasta - mid 60’s. So she made an executive decision and directed me to stay on I-5.
We made a stop for lunch in Roseburg and traded driving chores - Tina drove while I got to keep the kids (Wicket and Punky) happy. Two hours later we swapped back again as we continued through the mountains of northern California. Eventually we made it down to Redding where we stopped at the Vagabond Motel for the night. It is really nice - about 75 degrees, sunny and we’re still dressed in heavy winter clothes - heheheh! Tomorrow it’s shorts and sandals!
We registered, got our gear out of the truck, squared away the room and walked across the parking lot to eat dinner at Denny’s. After dinner we looked at the map and decided to try and drive 450 to 500 miles since we are on good freeways and the weather looks promising. We spent some time watching TV and called it a night.
Miles for today, 560.
No photos today.
Once again Tina and I are heading off into the wild blue yonder. Even though we've only been home a few weeks after returning from our trip to Europe, we are off to Florida to pick up our new motor home. We left home early Thursday morning after a stressful Wednesday, packing and unpacking the truck with all our RV gear, clothes, bedding, dog food, etc. It was nip and tuck whether we'd get it all in, but eventually everything fit.
Crossing over to the other side on the 7:00 AM ferry, we made our appointment at the U of W then drove to Maple Valley where we checked out a couple of properties we're interested in. After a quick lunch at Jersey Mike's Subs in Covington (very good) we tootled on down the freeway to Lakewood for a couple of nights.
Friday night we are celebrating our Granddaughter Emma's 11th birthday. Saturday we'll visit with family and Sunday morning we start our drive to Florida.
Sunday the 25th
Up at 6:00 AM to walk the dogs, we managed to load the truck, get a bite to eat, grab a cup of coffee and say goodbye to family all before 8:00 AM when we rolled out of Lakewood to start our drive to Florida.
Misty but otherwise dry, I-5 was busy for a Sunday morning but not crowded. We made it down to Portland and on to Springfield when Tina suggested we check the weather in the Siskyous. Originally we planned to head over to the coast and drive down 101 to avoid any winter storms. Using our NetBook, Tina logged on to the internet and checked the weather for Grants Pass and Shasta - mid 60’s. So she made an executive decision and directed me to stay on I-5.
We made a stop for lunch in Roseburg and traded driving chores - Tina drove while I got to keep the kids (Wicket and Punky) happy. Two hours later we swapped back again as we continued through the mountains of northern California. Eventually we made it down to Redding where we stopped at the Vagabond Motel for the night. It is really nice - about 75 degrees, sunny and we’re still dressed in heavy winter clothes - heheheh! Tomorrow it’s shorts and sandals!
We registered, got our gear out of the truck, squared away the room and walked across the parking lot to eat dinner at Denny’s. After dinner we looked at the map and decided to try and drive 450 to 500 miles since we are on good freeways and the weather looks promising. We spent some time watching TV and called it a night.
Miles for today, 560.
No photos today.
Friday, October 2, 2009
The Trip Home - Day2
Day 31 - The Trip Home - (September 30)
Today we start our homeward journey by waking up at 5:30 AM to the sound of the TV turning on, weird, using the TV as an alarm clock. Once we finished our morning routine and packed up the bags, we hauled everything downstairs and had a light breakfast in the hotel restaurant.
The Holiday Inn really is right across the street from the Glasgow airport terminal so it was only a short walk to the ticket counter to get our bags checked, boarding pass and seat assignments. Then it was another short walk down to security and the waiting area. An hour later we boarded the plane for our seven hour flight to Newark, NJ.
The first leg of our homeward journey was uneventful, a little sleeping, some reading , a movie or two, some more sleeping and eventually we got into Newark at 11:30 AM local time. Since we were in the front of the plane we were out quickly and on the way to passport control. Once through the checkpoint we had to collect our luggage and head for customs. We made it through customs in record time and grinned at each other figuring we would be able to make our connecting flight with time to spare. But we had to go through security one more time and that took half an hour.
Finally we got to the gate only to find out that our flight wasn’t leaving for another six hours. What a let down. So we got our books out, bought some lunch and settled in to wait. Around 6:00 PM they opened the doors to the plane and started boarding. Once we got on and settled in the pilot announced an early departure and we were in the air minutes later.
Once again it was an uneventful flight with a little sleeping, some reading a couple of movies, food, beverages and some more sleeping. But it only too fie and a half hours to get to Seattle. Once down we deplaned and headed off to claim our baggage. Cameron showed up just as the last bag showed up so we were able to head for the car and the ride home. One break - we got to the Ferry terminal just before 10:00 PM, got our ticket and were waived aboard right away. Lucky! Any later and we would have had to wait another hour for the 11:00 PM sailing.
Once off the ferry we drove the ten miles up island plus the four miles up to the old homestead. Twenty four hours after getting up we stumbled into the house, set our bags in the corner, thanked Cameron for picking us up and went to bed.
It was a wonderful trip! We met a lot of nice people saw some very interesting sights, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. And in three weeks we head to Florida to pick up our new motor home, to begin our next adventure!! Stay tuned.
No photos today.
Today we start our homeward journey by waking up at 5:30 AM to the sound of the TV turning on, weird, using the TV as an alarm clock. Once we finished our morning routine and packed up the bags, we hauled everything downstairs and had a light breakfast in the hotel restaurant.
The Holiday Inn really is right across the street from the Glasgow airport terminal so it was only a short walk to the ticket counter to get our bags checked, boarding pass and seat assignments. Then it was another short walk down to security and the waiting area. An hour later we boarded the plane for our seven hour flight to Newark, NJ.
The first leg of our homeward journey was uneventful, a little sleeping, some reading , a movie or two, some more sleeping and eventually we got into Newark at 11:30 AM local time. Since we were in the front of the plane we were out quickly and on the way to passport control. Once through the checkpoint we had to collect our luggage and head for customs. We made it through customs in record time and grinned at each other figuring we would be able to make our connecting flight with time to spare. But we had to go through security one more time and that took half an hour.
Finally we got to the gate only to find out that our flight wasn’t leaving for another six hours. What a let down. So we got our books out, bought some lunch and settled in to wait. Around 6:00 PM they opened the doors to the plane and started boarding. Once we got on and settled in the pilot announced an early departure and we were in the air minutes later.
Once again it was an uneventful flight with a little sleeping, some reading a couple of movies, food, beverages and some more sleeping. But it only too fie and a half hours to get to Seattle. Once down we deplaned and headed off to claim our baggage. Cameron showed up just as the last bag showed up so we were able to head for the car and the ride home. One break - we got to the Ferry terminal just before 10:00 PM, got our ticket and were waived aboard right away. Lucky! Any later and we would have had to wait another hour for the 11:00 PM sailing.
Once off the ferry we drove the ten miles up island plus the four miles up to the old homestead. Twenty four hours after getting up we stumbled into the house, set our bags in the corner, thanked Cameron for picking us up and went to bed.
It was a wonderful trip! We met a lot of nice people saw some very interesting sights, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. And in three weeks we head to Florida to pick up our new motor home, to begin our next adventure!! Stay tuned.
No photos today.
Homeward Bound - Day 1
Day 30 - Return to Scotland - (September 29)
We accidentally slept in after a terrible night’s sleep, both of us had trouble sleeping in a double bed of dubious heritage. Very strange for such a well appointed B&B. We were on a schedule, so we hurried through our morning routine and went down to breakfast where we had fruit and cereal with coffee. The coffee was strong as battery acid and neither of us finished our first cup.
Taking our bags down to the car we found we were an hour ahead of schedule. For some reason the lady on TV read out the wrong time while we were watching the morning news. Oh well, better early than late. We had very specific directions and other than traffic, it should be a straight forward drive to the airport to drop off the car.
Our route on N52 took us up and over the hills northwest of Belfast dropping us to the harbor where we were supposed to catch the M3 Bypass, then onto the A2 for the run to the airport. Well, we missed a turn in the morning traffic and ended up driving around downtown Belfast for half an hour. Finally with our second set of directions we actually managed to get onto the A2 where we pulled off at the airport and dropped the car off. With bags in tow we walked over to the airport terminal and hailed a taxi to take us back to the other side of the Belfast Harbor to the Stena Cruise Line for the trip back to Stranraer, Scotland.
We reached the Stena Terminal in plenty of time, checked our bags and went up to the waiting lounge for a coffee and some reading. Shortly before noon we boarded the ship and got settled in the lounge at the stern of the ship to have lunch and relax during the crossing. Arriving in Stranraer we disembarked the ship, collected our luggage and hiked the 50 yards to our train for the two hour ride to Glasgow Central.
The ride along the coast is beautiful with rolling green hills covered with hedge borders to keep the sheep in their pastures. Clouds break periodically to show some sun and it was a quick journey despite the periodic stops for pick ups and let offs in towns along the route.
Arriving in Glasgow we grabbed a baggage cart, loaded our luggage and exited the station. Deciding how to get a taxi, I asked a policeman and he waved acab over for us. After loading us and our bags into the cab we set off for the Holiday Inn at the Glasgow Airport. Once we got our room key and went up to the room, Tina reorganized our luggage for the flight home, then we went downstairs for dinner. After dinner we returned to our room and spent the evening relaxing.
Tomorrow morning we walk across the street to the terminal and fly home.
No photos today.
We accidentally slept in after a terrible night’s sleep, both of us had trouble sleeping in a double bed of dubious heritage. Very strange for such a well appointed B&B. We were on a schedule, so we hurried through our morning routine and went down to breakfast where we had fruit and cereal with coffee. The coffee was strong as battery acid and neither of us finished our first cup.
Taking our bags down to the car we found we were an hour ahead of schedule. For some reason the lady on TV read out the wrong time while we were watching the morning news. Oh well, better early than late. We had very specific directions and other than traffic, it should be a straight forward drive to the airport to drop off the car.
Our route on N52 took us up and over the hills northwest of Belfast dropping us to the harbor where we were supposed to catch the M3 Bypass, then onto the A2 for the run to the airport. Well, we missed a turn in the morning traffic and ended up driving around downtown Belfast for half an hour. Finally with our second set of directions we actually managed to get onto the A2 where we pulled off at the airport and dropped the car off. With bags in tow we walked over to the airport terminal and hailed a taxi to take us back to the other side of the Belfast Harbor to the Stena Cruise Line for the trip back to Stranraer, Scotland.
We reached the Stena Terminal in plenty of time, checked our bags and went up to the waiting lounge for a coffee and some reading. Shortly before noon we boarded the ship and got settled in the lounge at the stern of the ship to have lunch and relax during the crossing. Arriving in Stranraer we disembarked the ship, collected our luggage and hiked the 50 yards to our train for the two hour ride to Glasgow Central.
The ride along the coast is beautiful with rolling green hills covered with hedge borders to keep the sheep in their pastures. Clouds break periodically to show some sun and it was a quick journey despite the periodic stops for pick ups and let offs in towns along the route.
Arriving in Glasgow we grabbed a baggage cart, loaded our luggage and exited the station. Deciding how to get a taxi, I asked a policeman and he waved acab over for us. After loading us and our bags into the cab we set off for the Holiday Inn at the Glasgow Airport. Once we got our room key and went up to the room, Tina reorganized our luggage for the flight home, then we went downstairs for dinner. After dinner we returned to our room and spent the evening relaxing.
Tomorrow morning we walk across the street to the terminal and fly home.
No photos today.
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