Update for Anna

Hi, my Mom called me today and asked me to update her blog as she hasn't been able to get an internet signal in the last couple of days. It has been raining there quite a bit I guess. When she called me she was in Keene, New Hampshire. If you want to see where that is, click here.

Baltimore, MD

Hello to you all,

This is my third night in Baltimore, MD. The weather has been chilly and wet so haven't really been out too much. I spent so many days in a row traveling that I have been content to sit about for awhile.

Yesterday afternoon my pen pal, Robyn, came to visit me at the RV park. It was like we have known each other forever. This afternoon she took me out to see some of the sights. We went to the U.S. Navel Base. The buildings on the grounds are beautiful. She said the streets there are usually packed with people, but due to the rain there were not too many about. We could see many out on their sailboats in the harbour. This was an old area of town and what they call the Historical Section. There were many old brick houses in the area. We then had a fabulous supper at a Greek restaurant.

Tomorrow I leave for Amish country...Lancaster, Penn. Wish me luck driving in the rain.

Kentucky

Hello to you all,

Today I drove right through Tennessee and am now in Kentucky. I didn't stop in Tenn. and drove right through Nashville. OMG! The problem is that I can't see and do everything I would like to do. Tennessee is a beautiful state and is on my "come back and explore" list. I passed many stately country mansions, both new and very old.

As you can see the trees are in bloom in Kentucky. I am parked at an RV park as I needed to do laundry and MH maintenance. My grey water was getting full and I needed a shower badly. Free parking is great, but every once in awhile you need fresh water and the like.

I am heading towards Maryland as I have a penpal there. We have been in touch for about 15 years and have never met. It will be good!

I drove for just over 7 hrs. today and am pooped, so will call it an early night.

Jeff Busby Park

Hello friends and family,

I took these photos in Kusciusko, Miss. It was a small city but had many gorgeous buildings. There were a lot of Victorian style homes. If you click on the photos they will enlarge.

Early this morning I got back on the Natchez Trace and drove a short distance to Jeff Busby Park. You are allowed to park there for 2 weeks at no charge. It is beautiful there, but has no hook-ups or dump site. Fortunately, I parked directly across from the bathrooms (no showers), so will use their facilities instead of mine.

I drove 10 miles into Ackerman to use the internet. The library is closed, but I can pick up a signal in the parking lot. There are two men in green and white striped pants working on the grounds. I believe they are from a penitentiary, so am sitting in my car with the doors locked.

I am not sure how long I will stay here. The weather in Nashville, Tenn. is wet and cold this week, so will wait for things to warm up.

Natchez Trace, Mississippi

Hello to you all,

I am following the beautiful Natchez Trace, Mississippi...going north, of course. I am staying at WalMart at Kosciusko, named after a famous Polish military leader, both abroad and in the Am. Revolution. The librarian tells me there is a monument to him across the street, so on my way out I will take photos.

I just passed through Louisiana; didn't stay there too long. The most interesting sites there are south and I am headed north. I stopped at a gas station and there was a woman talking to the cashier. I know she was speaking English, but I did not understand one word that she said.

The Natchez Trace makes for relaxing driving. No commercial vehicles, speed limit 50 mph and many places to pull over (historical sites). There are even some free overnight parking places. The weather here is absolutely lovely...cool mornings and hot days.

Yantis, Tx

Hello to you all;

I just spent a wonderful week with Wes and Jude at their lake front property in N.E. Texas. They are #1 on my list of kind, generous, hospitable people. A special thank-you to you both!!!!!
The photo was taken on their property. It was so peaceful and serene...no sounds other than the birds, of which there were many. I met some of their neighbours, ate in some funky restaurants, made friends with Pockets (their dog) and even tried my hand at the casino. Those of you who know me know that I don't gamble, but I did have fun and did come out a winner!

N.E.. Texas is beautiful; oaks, wisteria, elm, evergreens and trees I've forgotten the names of. Flowers are in bloom and trees are leafing.

I am now in Shreveport, Louisiana. I just arrived at WalMart and haven't had time to check things out or find the library. I will try to take things slowly from here on as spring weather can be rather iffy, so will check the net for the weather as I travel.

Sunday

Hello friends and family,
I leave Donna, Tx on Sunday morning. Many are leaving the park now and two more left this morning. There are many hugs and tears as friendships have been formed and saying good-bye is always difficult.

I plan to go north to Victoria, Tx and spend the night at WalMart. It will seem really strange to be on the road again. The activity directors for the park, Wes and Jude, invited me to spend some time with them at the lake in northern Texas and there is nothing I would like better, so will aim for that.

The photo is a dancer in Progreso, Mexico. They put on quite a show! I will definitely miss going there. Cactus Jack and I had a great time going from lounge to lounge and dancing the evenings away. After the great Mexican music I have a hard time with the country sounds you hear at the dances in the valley.

I will attempt to keep up my blog as computer signal access allows. I am getting a bit homesick for Canada, but definitely too cold there to be heading home. Who knows what adventure is around the corner!

Wish me luck on the road y'all.

Monterrey/Saltillo, Mexio

Greetings my friends:

We just returned from 3 days and 2 nights in Monterrey/Saltillo, Mexico. It was a wonderful experience. We had only been to Mexican border towns, never to a Mexican city. We were very surprised at how modern and beautiful the cities are. The old 17 century buildings are mixed in with the new modern architecture. The new buildings are a work of art in themselves. The main streets are at least 3 lanes in each direction and well paved and demarcated. It was a good time to travel as the trees are in bloom as well as the cactuses.

The first day out was extremely hot. Our tour guide, Abel, said it had reached 110F. The next day was perfect and the third day had a somewhat chilly wind blowing, but was still nice. We visited new structures as well as the old city. Our bus driver, JoseLuis, was extremely proficient at turning down narrow, narrow streets with parking on both sides. A couple of times we all gave him applause for making, what looked to us, an impossible turn.

The first photo is a close-up of the cathedral in Saltillo. The detail is incredible. Everywhere are monuments; statues of some Mexican general, president, hero, etc. The parks are well treed, beautifully tended and flowered. The second photo is of the governor's palace in the heart of Monterrey. It is on a huge plaza with many statues and a park.

We also went to Horse Tail Falls, which is high in the mountains and surrounded with a beautiful park where families can picnic and enjoy the scenery. We stayed at a very nice hotel in Monterrey, walking distance to shopping and night life.

Things were more expensive in the cities than in the border towns. There are many huge factories there, which employ the Mexicans. We were told that most factory workers make $1/hr. but are striving to have that increased to $2/hr. For such low wages, a huge percentage of the vehicles were new. We saw rows and rows of the pigeon, chicken and turkey houses that my guide on the border trip had explained. Our guide explained many things to us, from important dates in Mexican history to how squatters eventually own their property. He had two years of post-secondary education to become a tour guide over 30 years ago. Now, he said, you need 4 years of post-secondary to become a tour guide. He had a great sense of humour and told us several jokes, which were very funny with his accent.

All in all it was indeed a trip to remember!