Rain, Rain, and More Rain

DAY 3: Decatur, TX to Albuquerque, NM
DISTANCE: 614 miles

I'm already tracking a day behind on updates - but I'm going to try to catch up with a brief update now.

After a good night of sleep in Decatur, we came out to load the cars and saw heavy cloud cover and misting rain. A glance at the radar showed we'd be driving in rain for a while. We had no idea how long "a while" would be. We ended up driving in rain pretty much the entire day.

The biggest surprise, though, was the temperature: The longer we drove, the colder it got. I started the day in shorts and a T-shirt. We watched with dismay as the temperature dropped from the 80s into the 70s, and continued to drop until we found ourselves driving with temperatures in the 30s. Yikes! A gusty wind made this unexpected weather even more uncomfortable when we stopped for fuel and lunch. I'm a Louisiana / Florida boy. I don't like cold. And I didn't pack appropriately for this. But we'll drive on.

To break up the drive, we planned some stops along historic Route 66. Dubbed The Mother Road, this thoroughfare used to take travelers from Chicago to the west coast. Much of the road has been replaced by new highways and even interstate, but some parts of the road have been preserved. Rain put a damper on our visits to some of the sights, but we were not to be deterred from at least some of the historic sights.

Lunch was great. We stopped at a place call the Big Texan Steak Ranch. I guess it used to be located on Route 66. Located just off I-40 now, it's a popular destination for travelers. We enjoyed our visit and found the lesson on mountain oysters fascinating. We did not partake of this western delicacy.

Somewhere along the way west on I-40, my day turned took on a tone of sadness. Annette called to let me know her flight was delayed, then delayed again due to weather in Orlando. The second delay meant she would miss her connection with the last flight of the day to Albuquerque. After a lot of searching for flights and working solutions, she ended up flying to Dallas. With no flights available that would get her here early enough to meet us before we needed to drive, we decided she would fly to Moab, Utah and meet us there. Our reunion is delayed by about 18 hours. Papa was sad.

On a good note, I was able to call friends in Dallas who agreed to pick Annette up at the airport and take her home so she wouldn't have to spend a night alone in a hotel. I know she's enjoying a wonderful visit with the Moody family. She'll try to travel again today.

Dinner at Munroe's offered us a taste of New Mexican food. Once again, the reviews were right on target, and the food was quite good.

We're off soon to ride the Million Dollar Highway on the San Juan Scenic Byway today and then make our way in to Utah, where we'll start our tour of national parks.

It's 44 degrees outside. Feels like 37. And we drive on.

On the Road Again... Again

It's been a while. I'm back for a season, because we're back on the road, enjoying yet another adventure.

If you're new to The Road Less Traveled at www.jonandannette.blogspot.com, let me catch you up: Our road trekking adventures began in 2012 when I called a friend and said, "How would you feel about riding all 48 states in three summers?" He immediately jumped on board. We accomplished all of that - and we just kept riding. Every summer since 2012 - this is summer number 9 - we've set out on a grand adventure of some sort. All of those epic adventures were on motorcycles.

If you've read the last several posts, you know we sold the bike and purchased an RV, desiring to travel not just with the best of friends but with our growing family of 10. That's been done. We're waiting to travel crazy long distances until the littles get older - but we travel a lot to Nashville, New Orleans, the beach, Savannah, and Disney's Fort Wilderness. The RV acquisition has proven to be a great thing. Just this week, our kids did their first solo (without Papa and Jamma) trip, and their adventure was a success. Oh, how we long for the spirit of adventure that is so much a part of us to continue in our kids and grands!

Some time after beginning the RVing adventures, I said to my bride, "The RV purchase was right, but it just doesn't go fast enough." In truth, part of my thought process was that the RV is all about family. The motorcycle afforded us an opportunity to adventure with our closest friends - and I desired a vehicle for continuing the adventures with those guys. A "vehicle" can be defined as a thing used for transporting people or goods, such as a motorcycle or recreational vehicle - or it can be defined as a thing used to express, embody, or fulfill something. For 11 years, the motorcycle was often our "vehicle" for deepening meaningful relationships with friends. I longed for another friend vehicle. And so another new season began.

On January 20, 2020 we purchased an old sports car. I haven't made a big deal about it because, well, I know some will think it extravagant and some will think a pastor shouldn't drive such a car... and that's okay. For me, the car was an investment in adventuring and friendship. Some have never understood my passion for Jesus and our commitment to serve Him and His Kingdom. That's okay. Some have never understood the priority we have placed on our children. That's okay. Some will never understand our desire for adventure and this crazy desire to go far and fast. That's okay, too. We inquire of the Lord. We embark on journeys with family and friends. And our lives are richer because of it. So we're on the road again.

On Monday, September 7 - Labor Day - I departed Orlando with four dear friends. Annette joins us tonight in Albuquerque. (I have to look up how to spell that word every time I type it. Sigh...) Here are some things of interest about this trip:

• These friends were supposed to embark on this trip in May. We weren't going to be able to adventure with them because of prior travel plans for my birthday. COVID-19 caused them to postpone, and this opened the door for us to join the fun.
• My New Orleans band of brothers were supposed to enjoy a great northwest adventure and, for various reasons, had to cancel that adventure entirely. We invited them to join us on this "ride", but they just weren't able to make it happen. I miss them a lot.

Our friend Tami put the "bones" of this trip together. She found dates that worked, determined the trip duration that worked for them, routed the trip, and booked hotels. When we determined that Annette and I would be able to be a part of the 2020 experience, I went to work putting "meat" on those bones... routing the trip in Garmin's BaseCamp, finding adventures within the adventure along the way, planning meals... those things I've done for the last bunch of adventures. After all of the planning, we're on the road. Again.

DAY 1: Orlando, FL to New Orleans, LA

DISTANCE: 633 miles

Our first day's adventure felt good. Driving a sports car on one of these epic adventures was an all-new thing. While it was blazing hot outside, we drove in air-conditioned comfort. We're still using the Cardo PackTalk communicators we've used for these "rides", so the banter is fun and keeps us alert as we drive. The communicators are designed for motorcycle riding. Being inside cars with windshields between us limits range - but as long as we don't get too far apart - we're good to chat.

Lunch in Crestview, Florida was great! Our meals are researched ahead of time. We don't eat fast food and we only frequent local non-franchised establishments. Hub City Smokehouse and Grill was everything TripAdvisor and Yelp said it would be. The first 395 miles of the journey couldn't have been better. The same could not be said for the after-lunch experience.

Waze warned us of Labor Day holiday traffic as we approached Mobile, Alabama, and we found ourselves pretty much in bumper-to-bumper traffic until we approached Slidell, Louisiana. No kidding. We lost two hours in traffic. We missed our dinner reservation and had to scramble to find a restaurant open in the French Quarter. But we laughed through it all, enjoyed a pretty okay New Orleans cuisine experience and then walked through the Quarter and along the mighty Mississippi River.

I want to be careful about the next observations. I know little about the political environment in New Orleans these days. Annette and I moved away from the Crescent City in 1993. While we visit as often as we can, we don't keep up with much local news. I will only say that our arrival at our downtown hotel just outside the French Quarter was unsettling and embarrassing for this adventurer who calls The Big Easy home. I paid $44 to park our car in a place I hoped would be safe. I texted my buddies and there and asked, "What has happened to our city?" It's so sad. The normally bustling Vieux Carre was practically abandoned. The smattering of people present walked past boarded-up places of business.

Our planned visit to Cafe Du Monde for beignets was postponed to the next morning because this New Orleans establishment closed at 8 PM. Wow... an 8 PM closure in a city that used to never sleep. I apologized to my friends for the unexpected New Orleans experience and determined Tuesday would better. I've committed to pray for our home town. She has so much character... so much history... and her people love life. She rose from the ashes after the storm of Katrina. With proper leadership, she can survive COVID-19 and all else that troubles her. Rise from the ashes, Crescent City. In Jesus name, amen.

DAY 2: New Orleans, LA to Duluth, TX

DISTANCE: 593 miles

We have our destinations in mind. Those destinations are all a long way from home. We want to minimize our days away and maximize our days at those places of choice, so we drive long, hard days to get there. Tuesday was no exception. While we drove just under 600 miles, we made our way through the Dallas - Fort Worth metroplex in rush-hour traffic. That's not the kind of adventure we enjoy. First, though...

We started our day with breakfast at Cafe Du Monde, introducing our friends to beignets. The beignets were wonderful, of course. Perhaps even better was the trio comprised of a trombonist, and tuba player, and a drummer. Their rendition of Amazing Grace was offered in a style that can only be found in New Orleans.

Breakfast was followed by a leisurely drive through uptown New Orleans before returning to the interstate for a while. I completed my undergraduate degree at Loyola University, located in this part of the city, so I have many fond memories of my time spent here.

I routed us through central Louisiana, where we enjoyed a very good country-cooking lunch at Pamela's Bayou in a Bowl in Alexandria. Then it was back to I-49 to I-20 to Dallas. We survived the Dallas rush-hour adventure and set our sights on Decatur, Texas. After a quick stop at our hotel, we grabbed a late dinner at Sweetie Pie's Ribeyes. While at dinner, I sent a message to a friend. He replied, "There is a place in Decatur called Sweetie Pie's Ribeyes. Good stuff." Good stuff, indeed. And then it was off to do a little bit of work before bed.

It's Day 3. I'm up early, writing in the Guest Laundry "suite", because this is what we do when on the road. The sports car just might have less room for packing than we had on our Harley-Davidson. So you pack light and wash often. We're headed to New Mexico today. More importantly, I'm headed to meet my girl... my best friend... my partner in life, ministry, and adventure. I'll see you tonight, baby - and then we'll be on the road again... again... together.

Hub City Smokehouse and Grill 

New Orleans' Saint Louis Cathedral

The mighty Mississippi River

The menu at Pamela's Bayou in a Bowl

This was fine home cooking.

Hello, Texas.

My first visit to a Buc-ees.

Sweetie Pie's Ribeyes was a win.

A city devoid of life made us sad...

... but we found joy in being reminded of God's Amazing Grace.

Surprise!

I wanted to get away for a few days because I wanted to get Annette away for a few days.

For several months, we've known that Annette would be facing a pretty serious surgery. It's kind of a followup to the surgery she had in 2011 following her cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment. March was the projected time frame. Two weeks ago the surgeon's office called to let Annette know they'd had a cancellation in the doctor's schedule, and the surgery could happen November 22nd. Contemplating the understanding that her recovery would be long and difficult led me to the "ah-ha" moment that we should get away and have some fun before the not-so-fun time of recuperation began.

You see, I love my girl. For almost 38 years (2-1/2 dating and more than 35 married), I've tried to major on caring for her... providing for her... making life an adventure - and I wanted her to enjoy a few days away before the serious business of surgery became our short-term reality. I offered options. She chose. And off we went.

Saint Augustine was the destination. Knowing it was getting a little chilly for the beach, we opted to find a campground close to the old historic city. We found an open spot at Compass RV Park, made our reservation, got the coach ready, and set out for our short 90-mile drive.

We got settled at our site Friday and stayed in for the evening, having had the foresight to bring a frozen pizza and cookie dough along for the ride. After sleeping in on Saturday morning, we grabbed an Uber to the historic district. The plan was early lunch, take in the sights, early dinner, and an early evening.

Lunch was great. We strolled through the old city. We found a places-we've-been magnet for the coach. And - we're really excited about this - we found a really cool kite for the grands. As much as we were enjoying the time together, it was still overcast and cold. So I suggested an new plan: grab some takeout Mojo Old City BBQ, head back to the coach for a movie, take a nap, eat our barbecue, and call it a restful night. And then the phone rang.

When Lindsey calls, I let it ring for a while. Her ringtone is a recording of Lindsey singing, "I know that You are for me, I know that You are for me, I know that You will never forsake me in my weakness". That's a word that is encouraging for us these days, so I let it play before answering. And then I heard Lindsey asking, "What are you guys doing?" I explained, and she replied, "We're nine minutes away. We came over to surprise you guys."

And a good, relaxing day became a GREAT relaxing day.

George Bernard Shaw wrote, "A happy family is but an earlier heaven." This is such a YES for Annette and me. Being around our kids and their kids is like heaven for us. To know that our kids were joining us for a few hours... that they were driving 90 miles one way to hang out... that they were bringing Lorelai and Daisy to spend the afternoon and evening with us... brought sunshine to a cloudy day. I ran (part of the way) to the campground entrance to greet them and literally jumped up and down when I saw their car come around the corner.

Use the link to the right.

We made our way back to the historic district, and for just a while, we really did find sunshine on a cloudy! We strolled. Lorelai danced to the music of a street drummer. Watch Lorelai dance here. We had key lime pie. (Lorelai had the whipped cream.) We just enjoyed being together - because family is a little like an earlier heaven. And then we retreated to the warmth of the coach for real pizza and BBQ dinner before the kids put the little girls in PJs and headed for home.

Surprise! Yes, a good relaxing day became a great relaxing day.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said, "Nothing surprises me. One thing I don't have in my world is surprises". Oh, man - that's not me. Not at all. I LOVE surprises! Surprise parties, surprise gifts, surprise visits, and the surprise of hearing, "We're nine minutes away."

I hope we always long for the unexpected. I hope our lives continue to be filled with surprises. And I hope we never begin to view surprises as interruptions. Loving surprises is all a part of our spirit of adventure, I suppose. I hope the next surprise is just nine minutes away.

Our pond-side site at Compass RV Park.
I didn't fish.

Mimi couldn't come - but we wanted her to
know we were thinking about her.

We stopped in Ormond Beach and enjoyed great conversation
and a late lunch with long-time friends and pastor
Mark and Leigh and Marshall. This was like the whipped
cream on our key lime pie - a little extra blessing.

Good time with great friends.

A New Season of Recreation and Travel

I've been disappointed in recent months over the offerings from Hollywood. Sometimes Annette and I want to enjoy a date night that involves dinner and a movie. And we love movie popcorn (butter on my half of the bucket and no butter on hers). Recently, however, there haven't been many movie offerings that have captured our interest.

My sights are set on November 22, 2019, though, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood is a motion picture about Fred Rogers, known to young and old as Mr. Rogers. Tom Hanks, one of my favorite actors of all time in the lead role, heightens my anticipation. So I thought it would be appropriate to begin this post with a thought from Mr. Rogers:

"Often when you think you're at the end of something, you're at the beginning of something. I've felt that many times. My hope for all of us is that 'the miles we go before we sleep' will be filled with all the feelings that come from deep caring - delight, sadness, joy, wisdom - and that in all the ending of our life, we will be able to see the new beginnings." | Fred Rogers, The World According to Mister Rogers: Important Things to Remember

This statement could apply to a number of transitions... endings and beginnings... our family is facing these days. And one day I might use this very quote from the gentle yet courageous Mr. Rogers to address other roads less traveled before us. But for now... for today... for this season... I write about the most recent end of an era and a wonderful new season we are embracing.

My last post was entitled SOLD: End of an Era. That post was all about selling our 2015 CVO Road Glide Ultra and moving into a new era of adventuring. Before I begin to describe our new season of adventuring, I should probably finish up some unfinished business.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS
While we thought our motorcycle touring days were finished at the end of our 9,650-mile epic adventure to the Canadian Rockies in 2018, exciting news paved the way to my extending the motorcycle days just a bit longer. BOTH of our girls announced to us they were pregnant and BOTH were to give birth to our third and fourth grandchildren in the summer of 2019. While Annette was not thrilled, I managed to coerce her to allow me to keep the Harley for one more summer. I announced to my fellow riders that there would be one more adventure. And the planning commenced.

We started our trip - shorter and closer to home - in May of this year. I started posting about adventures along the way then abruptly stopped. There was no explanation and no end-of-the-adventure post. I just stopped. Here's the story:

Almost as soon as the trip began, I noticed that my motorcycle was leaking fluid. Finally determining the fluid leaking was from the transmission, I began to worry about the stress I placed on that gearbox navigating the roads of choice for us. These roads are characterized by sharp curves and frequent elevation changes. We ride these roads as fast as we dare - and all of this requires frequent downshifting and upshifting. I couldn't help but wonder what would happen if my transmission failed on one of these roads. Yikes!

I had already made my decision to cut my trip short and head for home when a fellow rider and dear friend was injured badly in the mountains of Virginia. By the provision, protection, and grace of God he was able to stop the bike safely, preventing further injury to himself and preventing injury to his wife. With a leg broken in three places, though, his ride was done and I knew the right thing to do was to accompany him home. And just like that - in the providence of God - a season ended and Annette and I set our sights on what was to come.

A NEW ERA

Parked at the Creekside RV Ranch in Savannah

Annette and I had begun to dream some time ago about sharing the adventures we had experienced with our children and grandchildren. There wasn't a good way to accommodate our family that was soon to number ten on a motorcycle, so we determined RVing was the plan we would pursue. We had actually been exploring this possibility for about two years. And it was during the abbreviated 2019 motorcycle adventure that Annette called to let me know she had found a coach for sale near home that might meet our needs. I called the current owner from my hotel somewhere in North Carolina or Virginia (I can't remember where we were) and made arrangements to inspect the RV as soon as I returned home.

Over the course of the next couple of weeks, we inspected, drove, and purchased the RV, sold the motorcycle, and began this new season of adventuring.

SO FAR...
A death in Annette's family necessitated a visit to New Orleans just after taking delivery of our home on wheels. Not really sure what we were doing yet, we set out on our 630-mile trek to the Crescent City. We learned a lot on that trip. Lessons included learning to connect to shore power and having wasp and hornet spray on hand for the pests inside the electrical pedestal. All in all, the trip was a great success, and we knew we were on our way.

July 4th weekend found us - just Annette and me - heading to Savannah, Georgia to continue our learning about the complexities of what Ruthie and Lorelai call "Papa's Bus". We might have been spoiled by the luxury campground we enjoyed - and we experienced the wonderfully-soothing experience of rain on the roof as we slept. We cooked in the coach for the first time, spent a day in historic Savannah, ate at Paula Deen's place, and counted the experience a wonderful success.

Our next adventure took us to Nashville for the birth of Tess. We dry camped in Jaimee's and Travis' driveway for nine glorious days getting to soak in time with the newest addition to the Brown family. This trip required two quick visits to campgrounds to dump the gray and black water tanks, and we learned a valuable lesson about pulling the black water valve slowly so the coupling doesn't disconnect from the hose under pressure. I don't have pictures of this mishap. Use your imagination.

Next, we were off to Ormond Beach for an absolutely glorious weekend at the beach with Lindsey, Bryan, Lorelai, and Daisy. Our campsite at Coral Sands RV Park was just steps from the beach. This was our first overnight experience with kids and grandchildren, and Annette and I could not have been more delighted by the experience. We cooked on our RV grill for the first time. Burgers were a great success. Eggs and bacon on the griddle proved to be not so satisfying, so we cook breakfast inside now. Another lesson learned.

Our first experience at Disney's Fort Wilderness Campground - again with Lindsey, Bryan, Lorelai, and Daisy - was so much fun that I started trying to make future reservations before we even checked out. We really wanted to try this kind of Disney experience with Jaimee, Travis, Ruth, and Tess. Getting reservations can prove to be challenging, but we've found that persistence pays off, and were already looking forward to the next experience at Fort Wilderness. We learned a lot about the transportation system at the Fort, and found ourselves loving this new form of recreation and adventure even more than before.

September marked a reunion for Annette's extended family. Reservations at a campground in central Louisiana had to be cancelled due to tornado damage at Jimmie Davis State Park, but we were not to be deterred. We drove to Lake Charles, Louisiana, parked in the large out-in-the-country front yard of the Fletcher family along with Annette's cousin from Houston, and we fell in love even more with our home away from home. Louisiana cuisine, meaningful time with family, and a quick trip back east to New Orleans for a reunion of sorts with some of Jon's college friends made for a perfect long weekend.

Our second trip to Fort Wilderness was, in some respects, the grandest adventure of all: Ten of us spent two nights in our little bus, and we survived! But we didn't just survive. We had a wonderful time together. For Annette and me, this was a big test, as our dream is for all of - with Mimi - to be able to experience the same sort of adventures we enjoyed on motorcycles with ALL of us together. All ten of us together was a dream come true for Annette and me, and we can't wait for the big adventure to come next summer.

Tomorrow, we'll make our way over to Saint Augustine, Florida for a quiet couple of days before meeting some friends back in Ormond Beach. And the adventures just continue.

We travel on six wheels instead of two now. We stay dry when it rains... cool in the Florida heat... and we find packing much easier. But the spirit of adventure and the quest to find roads less travels remains.

Aristotle wrote, "Adventure is worthwhile."

"All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them," said Walt Disney.

And Oprah Winfrey says, "The biggest adventure you take is to live the life of our dreams."

Most importantly, Jesus said, "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly."

Adventure... dreams... courage... abundant life. These things are worthy of pursuit.

This moment made the Nashville trip
absolutely wonderful.

Jamma and Papa at Ormond
with two precious treasures.

"Open the door to the bus, Papa."

"Thank you, Papa!"

"Often when you're at the end of something,
you're at the beginning of something."
Mr. Rodgers

SOLD: The End of an Era

The 2015 Road Glide Ultra is sold. Gone. For the first time in a little more than 11 years, Annette and I don't own a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. The experience of selling the bike was bittersweet and somewhat emotional for about a hour. And then I set my heart on a new course.

I sent a text to my family just moments after closing the deal. Lindsey, our youngest daughter, replied with this message: "Wow. End of an era. Glad you had such fun times on those guys. Thankful you stayed safe. But excited about the new adventures." This text message has informed my thinking over these last few days.

END OF AN ERA
In 2008, faced with the reality that my work schedule and the challenge of getting on and off of the lakes here in central Florida, we decided to sell our boat. After decades of spending much of our free time on the water - fishing, skiing, tubing, and enjoying time with family and friends - we had to acknowledge that we just didn't have time for what was most often an all-day venture. So I enrolled in a basic rider course, sold the boat, and embraced a new form of adventuring.

THOSE GUYS

We owned four Harley-Davidson motorcycles in our years of riding. We started on a 2003 100th-anniversary-edition FXST Softail Standard. This was our "see-if-we-like-it" machine - and it wasn't a bad bike at all for a "starter" bike. The plan was to ride this one for a year to see if we would use the bike. I rode for 1,000 miles before putting Annette on the bike, and rode this one 11,000 miles before deciding to trade it on something new. This was a very cool bike, and I would have kept her if I thought I could get away with it.

Eleven months into that year, we traded the Softail for a bike Annette would be more comfortable on - AND a bike that would allow us to do some long-distance riding. We welcomed our 2008 Street Glide into the family and rode that machine nearly 60,000 miles.

Concerned about the miles on that bike as well as the long-term affect of a horrible sand storm we rode through in Arizona in the summer of 2012, we decided it was time to sell the Street Glide and move on to the next motorcycle.

After a lot of reading and consulting with other riders - and always having something in me that likes to be a little unconventional - we decided to switch from the classic batwing-fairing Harley - the style of the Street Glide - to the fixed-fairing Road Glide. This was the first brand-new bike we purchased, a 2013 Road Glide Ultra. Annette let me do some pretty significant customization to this one (chrome front end, chrome wheels, custom floorboards and highway pegs, custom grips, and LED lights all around) - much done before I even took delivery. That was one beautiful bike, and I still miss her just a little.

Once again, high mileage became a cause for concern and we traded the '13 for a gently-used 2015 CVO Road Glide Ultra. Though we didn't anticipate hanging up the helmets so soon, we always thought we wanted our last bike to be a Custom Vehicle Operations motorcycle. These machines boast limited edition paint sets, a high performance motor, heated seats, and more chrome than any of us want to keep clean. But they are magnificent machines, for sure.

That was our line of "those guys" - the bikes we rode some 140,00 miles and enjoyed together for so many years.

GLAD YOU STAYED SAFE
By the grace of God, we survived all of those years and all of those miles. I had my share of "incidents".  I had one real "wreck" on the Street Glide when I went down in light rain as I lost control of the bike on some of these pretty (and very slick) big white arrows in the road. I dropped my bike trying to park on ice at the summit of Pike's Peak. I dropped my bike when I hit some deep sugar sand in a parking lot I thought was paved. (It was dark... no lights in the lot... I was leading... and I sprained my ankle.) But last year we had two incidents that really scared us. I was riding solo on the first and Annette was with me on the second. God protected me / us in both incidents. We didn't wreck, but we could have. These incidents made me appreciate again the danger of the sport. These incidents led me to thank the Lord for our safety over the years. And these incidents made me think that maybe it was time.

BUT EXCITED ABOUT THE NEW ADVENTURES
Boating was a season that lasted 30 years. Motorcycling represented yet another season that served us well for 11 years. In 2019, we adventure in a different way... with more wheels. I'll write about that later. But yes, we are excited. All of us this time - not just me... not just Annette and me.

The great philosopher Winnie the Pooh said, "As soon as I saw you, I knew an adventure was about to happen." I hope I am always viewed in this way. Wilfred Peterson wrote, "A man practices the art of adventure when he breaks the chain of routine and renews his life through reading new books, traveling to new places, making new friends, taking up new hobbies and adopting new viewpoints." Eleanor Roosevelt said, "The purpose of life, after all is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience."

One season of adventure is over. And a new season of adventure begins. This time... together.