Colorado to Oriental Roadtrip
25 September 2011
Captain Pat
Sunday 9/18/2011
Well the going to the sea adventure has commenced! After a week of endless closets, did you really still have that letter from the seminary ? Are we really going to keep your baby picture and put it on the boat? If so, I'll bring my seminary letter! We are still married and took 2.5 hours to pack the rocket box and the rest of the Suburu.
For the road trip we have created many user friendly features of a well packed car. If you are hungry just open the tailgate and snacks stuffed in pseudo voids will pop out without digging for them! You need to remain alert to grab them before hitting the ground. Well good driving does require alertness and quickness. Extra clothes, no problem. Ejecting clothes from the rear driver side door. Judy is getting her minerals and vitamins, generally on the ground below the passenger side rear door. Finally, intimate seems to capture the ambiance of the forward seats.
So rolling out of Cliffrose Lane and onto the sea. The sea of the eastern Colorado plains unfolded far to quickly before reaching the Colorado/Kansas state line. The admiral was driving and shot past the state sign, a planned photo shot, and pulled over in Kansas. She inquired about a photo back there. The presence of a Kansas state trooped down the road , the first of eight in the state, prompted a desire to resume driving. He no doubt would want us to open a door! He looked short of snacks!
Kansas was a spiritual/signage road side adventure. After several signs of "Jesus Saves" we were passed by the "Jesus truck". A tanker doing about 75 mph. I'm not making this up! Other sparkling moments were places for the guys, the Lions Den, or for couples there was the Passion Place with lingerie. We stopped in Selina close to K-State, Go Birds, and fortunately there was no Fredericks catalog in our room.
Monday 9/19/2011
Mondays travels were different as we crossed the eastern third of Kansas and into Missouri. There was the senior driver doing a U turn as we approached at 70mph in traffic. We managed to abruptly slow traffic without incident and suspect that he and the little missus were headed back to the Cracker Barrel about two miles up the road. We stopped in Columbia at Paneras for a lunch salad. I was in the bakery line, swayed by the "Breakfast Pastry Ring", but the line was to long so Miss Judith suggested the "Salad line". No waiting in the salad line? After a great salad it was on to the "Arch" across the Missippi and into Illinois. Back on the road a red Chevy truck passed. It was obviously a multi sport pro athlete! Decals from "Bow Hunters Alliance", "Remington " had prominent placement on the rear window. The license read "RD NK WN" Probably headed for The Lake of the Ozarks to meet her guy. When we stopped for gas I was regretfully full otherwise we could have dined at the Hen House. But not to be. We stopped for the the night at Washington's Western White House Mount Vernon.
Tuesday 9/20/2011
Well rested from a good night's sleep at the Western White house we transited the fine state of Kentucky and onto Huntington West Virginia for the night. We noted some really fine Rand Paul bumper stickers while crossing the Ohio river and earlier a thought provoking "Whats Your Purpose ?" sign. So we spend the day contemplating our purpose or Rand Paul's purpose. We seemed to have more clarity about Mr. Paul's purpose then our own. Probably true for him also. We continued into Huntington, West Virginia for a night at the Hampton Inn. They proudly reassured us that the absence of the arm chair & ottoman combination in our room was a West Virginia tradition. Did we lock the car and the bike rack? Undeterred we strolled through a mosquito free area provided by several smoking Mountaineers outside The Outback for dinner.
Wednesday 9/21/2011
We arrived in North Carolina during a rainstorm and stayed the night in New Bern, NC. at the Fairfield Inn Suites along with a complete 30 person phone bank of Nationwide Insurance adjusters. The admiral selected our dining out site for the night. A restaurant called "Chelsea". She promised navigation skills with her I-Phone app! Total serendity brought us the the front door of the Chelsea. It was in a historically restored location with exquisite food. With a full tummy we joined the adjusters for a good nights sleep.
Thursday 9/22/2011
A short 30 minute ride to Oriental , we arrived at Thalia. The amount of damage from Irene in town was stark! Furniture, chairs, insulation, duct work in piles all over town. At the marina several finger piers tied off with lines and floating in the water. Thalia had been unscathed since she was up on the hard during the storm. Many of the big boats have not returned. But we have a neighbor from England aboard a Hans Christian 43 and a Bristol 45 down the way. We will probably spend a week getting stuff on the boat. More to come when I post again. Judy and I are well with a lot of work and adventures ahead of us.