sheflys

10/6/21 Our drive to Apex on 10/1/21 was only half a day, so we decided to take a scenic drive to get there. We left the hotel at 8:45 and 67 degrees and pointed the car NE. We drove through more of the heartland of America…Old Fort, North Cove, Crossnore, Linville, Grandfather, and Boone. One of several Ethan Allen factories is located in Old Fort. The yard was stacked high with fresh lumber and the building was quite large and probably a major employer in this general area. The drive took us through the Blue Ridge Mountains, which are part of the Applanation Mountain Range. The roads were good, and the scenery great as we circled around mountain ridges, up in elevation and down, then up again. Based on the many businesses we saw for rentals ... read more

9/29/21 Last night was a night to remember. We checked into our hotel in Cincinnati/Florence and discovered that we were very close to the interstate. And the windows were no help in keeping the noise out. So I figured it was going to be a long night. We went to bed at 10 and at 12:30 AM were blasted out of our bed by the fire alarms. Oh, great. We manage to get to sleep in spite of the road noise and this happens. So we dressed and evacuated the building. And eventually the fire department arrived with lights flashing and two firemen got out and went into the building. After a while, they came out and told us we could go in. Well, we returned to our bed, but after all of this excitement, who ... read more

9-27-21 First let me say, there was no blog entry yesterday. It was purely a moving day…500 miles across the interstate. There was really nothing to report except perhaps the new hotel that we stayed in last night. La Quinta in State Rd 933 in South Bend was brand new. So new, it was only the second day opened and we were the first people to stay in our room. Not to say that all was good. They still have some bugs to iron out, like say, putting a desk clerk on the job never having ever checked anyone in and then the owners leaving for the night and leaving her there alone. Not such a good idea. But we survived it all…at least I hope so, because we are still waiting for the $300 security ... read more

9/24/21 We woke this morning to a cold and blustery day. It was 56 degrees and, although the weather app on my phone said the wind was 8 MPH, due to my experience from my flying days, you could not convince me that it was anything but a 25 knot wind. At one point I could not open the car door, the wind kept pushing it shut on me. And even many of the locals were wearing parkas and winter headgear. So after putting on some warm clothes, we ventured out for the day at 8:50 AM and headed north. Steve had planned all along to follow the lakeside roads and so we did. I call them roads but, as anyone knows who has lived in a climate as far north as Duluth, they can be ... read more

9/22/21 Each evening when I sit down to write this blog, I have no idea what is going to come out. And the same goes for right now. So, let’s see where we go. This morning I was up before 7 and ready to roll at 7:30, but as things go and preparations needed to be made, we didn’t get moving until 8:40. It was a chilly 59 degrees and the temperatures all day never reached above the 60’s. The sun was shining most of the day, but the wind was quite strong and at times, I wished I had put on a jacket before getting out of the car. So, today we began our journey in Moline, Illinois and took to the GRR on the Illinois side of the river. We always have a choice, ... read more