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Published: September 17th 2009
WELCOME HOME!
Chandlee & Raney gave us a nice welcome.While walking the beautiful white sand beach in Ft Myers, we decided that we were ready for a cross country road trip. We had just circled the world and figured it was time to see the USA. So we started scanning the want ads and Craigslist for a nice minivan. We found exactly what we wanted at a Mom and Pop used car operation--a Honda Odyssey in bristol condition. So after three weeks of lounging around Florida we loaded up the van and took off on our driving odyssey.
First stop was in Tampa to catch up with our niece Meghan and family and then to spend the evening with our Norwegian friend Ivar. In my work life I was the manager of the West Coast office of Scand-America Tours. This is a tour company that specializes in forestry and student tours bringing Norwegians to this country to study our methods of agriculture and music. Ivar and I worked together for several years in this business.
The next day brought a change in the weather as it turned cold and windy when we left Florida for Atlanta. We spent the night with Katharina who is one of our world
Pat, Kevin, Brad & Pete
DeSales Alums reunited on Florida's Gulf Coast. cruise passengers and a delightful and talented woman. She is an inveterate travelers and an accomplished singer. She and Elton John have condos on the same floor in Buckhead, an exclusive suburb of Atlanta. Elton has covered the common hallways with his eclectic art collection. Katharina introduced us to two of her best friends and we had a delightful dinner while watching the sunset over Atlanta.
We hooked up with my newlywed nephew Eric and his wife Carissa who are loving their new life together in this bustling metropolis. Before leaving town we got to visit with Kevin's godfather, John Whalen—an Irishman who must be related to the Kennedys in some manner. He looks and sounds like he grew up in Hyannis Port.
It was a short ride up to Chattanooga to spend time with Kevin's brother, Dan and sister Susan and families. We had a barbecue and sat outside in spite of the cool temperatures. Dan and Karen took us down to the Tennessee River to see the Delta Queen sternwheeler steamboat. She used to ply the Mississippi River all the way from New Orleans to Minneapolis. Now this 87 year old historic landmark is being converted
'Q'-ing in the Rain
The nights are wet & wonderful in Florida. into a floating hotel.
We drove across Kentucky and ended up at the Land Between the Lakes—a national recreational area surrounded by the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers. En route we passed the Jack Daniels Distillery and a number of other lesser known whiskey distilleries. Thus we were quite surprised when we inquired at our resort about having wine with dinner and were told that this part of Kentucky is dry—no alcohol is sold or served!! One of the perks of car travel is that you can carry your own wine with you even in dry counties.
Continuing our cross country odyssey we passed through Illinois and Missouri and ended up at the Lake of the Ozarks. We found another nice resort on the lake to spend the night. With over 1,150 miles of shoreline, Lake of the Ozarks has more coastline than the entire state of California. We were fortunate to be there prior to the beginning of the tourist season as the lake is an intensely used recreational resource. High powered speed boats and jet skis seem to be the vehicles of choice.
We had a nice visit in Kansas City with my lifelong friend, Sandy
HONDA ODYSSEY
We drove this Odyssey on our 6,000 mile odyssey. and her husband Mike. We have shared a lot over the years, most recently cheering each other up when we both went through shoulder surgery.
It was a straight shot up to Des Moines where we spent a few nights with my sister Teresa and husband Matt. They were in the final planning stages of their daughter’s wedding. They took us to the local farmer’s market which is a real community affair.
Minneapolis was the next stop on the itinerary where we were able to visit with two more of my sisters. Betsy and Tim treated us to ping pong and a barbeque on a lovely summer night.
Collegeville is the home of St John’s University as well as my sister Annette’s home which she shares with her husband Tom. Annette is a professor of history at the University and a published author who specializes in bringing Minnesota’s past to life. Two of her faculty friends joined us for an alfresco dinner with a lively discussion and a tramp through the woods.
Visiting Minnesota and the Midwest in May is probably the loveliest time of the year. The lilacs were in full bloom and as we
were driving across the state we would pass mile after mile of the beautiful and fragrant purple, blue and white blooms. When I was growing up, the scent of lilacs always heralded the approach of summer after the long, long winters of the northern plains.
We crossed into South Dakota to visit with sister Linda and husband Kendall. They have a summer home on Pickerel Lake. The lake is spring-fed and one of the deepest natural lakes in the state. Unfortunately the weather wasn’t summer-like so we spent the evening playing the latest card game rage, called “Hand and Foot.” I think everyone in my family is hooked on this great game.
Continuing on with the odyssey in our Odyssey, we arrived in my hometown of Sioux Falls where I was born and raised. My 93 year old father, two brothers and one sister live here. We spent three nights with Mary and Bob and spent the days with my Dad. We took Dad around to all of the family homes, to the Sioux Falls falls and past the beautiful St Joseph’s Cathedral which dominates the skyline and look strangely out of place on the plains of Dakota.
It seems that this striking edifice should be gracing the banks of the Rhine River in Germany. We had a family picnic with brothers Tom and Mike and their families and assorted nieces and nephews.
Next on the agenda were visits with five world cruisers. We drove to Sioux City to see our 99 year old friend Dr Lloyd Tinkle. His home is a virtual museum which displays treasures collected over half a century of travels around the globe. He is already booked on the 2010 world cruise and we are planning a ship-wide party to celebrate his centennial.
After a night in Kearny, Nebraska at a non-descript Holiday Inn, we pushed on to Colorado Springs and went to the new home on the hill of Lucia and Bob. We were greeted by six full size terra cotta warrior statues in their portico. Their house is also furnished with gorgeous travel artifacts from Asia and India. After watching a tremendous rain and lightning storm move in we went to the famed Broadmoor Hotel which was built in 1891 as a gambling casino and later turned into a luxury resort. We had a lovely dinner and talked about the
KATHARINA
Katharina's Buckhead condo overlooks all of Atlanta. world cruise experiences we have shared over the years.
We ran into a snow storm the next day as we crossed the 10,666’ high Vail Pass. We were a long way from the 90 degree white sand beaches of Florida. We drove to Carbondale to see Ted and Joann—a couple we have taken two world cruises with and spent many afternoons playing tennis on board with Ted. They have a home on a golf course overlooking the Snowmass Mountains.
We backtracked to Vail to spend the night with our wonderful niece Julie and her growing family. We have traveled in Scandinavia, Russia, England and Spain with Julie and worked together in the travel business. She is now a wife, mother, property manager and events planner. This summer Julie organized a $400,000 wedding complete with mountain top party and gondola rides. We also got to visit with her in-laws, Hugh and Angela who we had last seen in Auckland five months prior.
After a long drive through rain and snow and sleet and highway construction we arrived in Salt Lake City to visit with our friends Mike and Janet. They are inveterate travelers and a great couple to
spend an evening with.
Upon passing the Great Salt Lake we suddenly felt a great need to get home. We had been gone since early November and now it was June and our boat beckoned us. We drove twelve hours and ended up in Auburn, California where we sat on our hotel porch and watched one of the most spectacular lightning storms ever! We later heard that there were over 1000 lightning strikes in the Sacramento Valley that night. What a welcome back to California!
We got up early and drove down to Sausalito. We quickly unloaded our van and open up our boat and started settling in. Three hours after we got home we were at our swim club reconnecting with our friends. That night as we watched the sunset behind Mt Tamalpais we toasted a very successful seven month adventure which included circling the world and crossing the United States. Seeing friends and family was an added bonus capping a wonderful trip. We had three months at home before leaving on our next journey. Summer in California is always something to enjoy especially on our floating home, “Mana.”
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