North American Road Trip

Day 14 & 15: Little Rock, Arkansas

2008-12-08T15:44:00.000-08:00

Day 14 & 15

Saturday and Sunday, December 6Th and 7Th, 2008

7:49 AM

34 degrees F.

16,245 miles on the odometer

Saturday was a road day.

We drove all day, from Oklahoma City, to Little Rock, Arkansas.

On Sunday, we had a wonderful and delicious Monkey bread cinnamon french toast breakfast.

After breakfast,we were ready for adventure in the town of Little Rock, Arkansas. We found a good bike trail that ran along the Arkansas river. While riding our bikes, we came across the Capitol building. We saw small white lines surrounding the capitol, and finally realized that they were Christmas lights. We imagined it would look spectacular at night.

Then we went to President Clinton's library. Here, on display, were dozens of weird but cool choppers.

I had never seen a chopper before so it was really awesome.

My dad thinks that the choppers look like they are more for show than for riding.

It's a boys life on the road!

Day 13: Oklahoma City, OK

2008-12-08T15:01:00.000-08:00

Day 13

Friday, December 5, 2008

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Today we stayed in Oklahoma City, OK.

We went downtown to go see these bronze statues of horses, men and wagons.

The statues were twice the size of humans. The horses were like giants to me.

Then we went to a brake shop because our car's brakes needed tending to. Luckily our bikes were on the back of the car, so we did not have to wait at the brake shop for them to finish the car. We started riding our bikes and we came across a memorial. The memorial was for a bombing that happened in 1995. There were 168 people that died on April 19, 1995. It was a tragic day for a lot of people. On the second floor of the building that was bombed, there was a day care: most of the kids died.
Part of the memorial includes rows of 168 chairs, each one reminds us of those who died.

When we left, I was thinking of the memorial, and it made me sad that someone would do such a thing.

Day 12: Amarillo, TX to Oklahoma City, OK

2008-12-04T18:32:00.002-08:00

Day 12

Thursday, December 4, 2008

25 degrees F

9:41 AM

15,982 miles on the beast odometer

It sucked that my Dad left the water hose connected to the beast when it's 25 degrees out. Our water filter broke from freezing, and the inside of the hose was frozen as well.

When everything was unfrozen and we got on the road, the first thing we came to was 10 Cadillacs half driven into the ground that were spray painted all over.

Shortly thereafter we entered Oklahoma.

Then we saw a sign that said "1-mile to Erick"...isn't that cool. There's a town named after me, but it's spelled wrong. The way I spell it is Erik...but it's still cool!

Day 11: Another day in Amarillo, TX

2008-12-04T18:02:00.000-08:00

Day 11

Wednesday, December 3, 1008
34 degrees F
Today was fun and also not fun.

The not fun part was when we went to Palo Duro Canyon State Park to ride our mountain bikes. It was so cold and windy that we were forced to stop and turn around because our fingers were starting to get frostbite.

Later, we went to a movie theater and watched Twilight. I finished all of my books, and needed a new one, so we went to a book store and I bought Twilight to read as well.

When the movie ended my Dad and I went to an outstanding steakhouse called the Big Texan Steak Ranch.

There was a 4-pound steak you could order, but you have to eat it in front of everyone in the restaurant. If you eat the whole thing in an hour, then you don't have to pay for it. If you don't eat it all you have to pay $72.00.

Above the stage where you eat the really big steak there was an enormous Texas Longhorn skull. It was over 8 feet from tip to tip on the horns.

It sucked that no one ordered one of those, so we could watch. Oh well.

Day 10: Albuquerque, NM to Amarillo, TX

2008-12-04T17:26:00.000-08:00

Day 10

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

45 degrees F

8:56 AM

15, 713 miles on the beast odometer

Albuquerque was a very touristy town...we called it the brown town, because everything there was brown; even the bridges.There was really nothing to do there.

The only good thing we could find was a great BBQ joint that we went to dinner at.

The next morning we left the brown town and drove until we reached Amarillo, Texas.

We found a nice RV park and spent the night.

Dad's note: Erik has discovered the joy of reading for pleasure. Here he is, finishing up Harry Potter (his third book in 10-days). His dinner, a crab cake and a root beer, has been sitting in front of him for 5 minutes...UNTOUCHED! I have never seen a 10 year old boy more interested in reading than eating.

Day 9: Williams, AZ to Albuquerque, NM

2008-12-04T17:10:00.000-08:00

Day 9

Monday, December 1, 2008

8:28 AM

34 degrees F.

15,345 miles on the beast odometer

We awoke to a cold day that felt like the North Pole.

The bad thing was that it was 43 degrees inside of the coach; which felt like being inside of an iceberg.

When it is this cold, ice can form on the top of the slides, so they can not close. My Dad had to get a ladder and climb up on the roof and sweep the ice off of the slides with a broom.

We were off to Albuquerque, New Mexico.

There was not a lot to see on the way. Mostly desert, and a few rocks.

Day 8: The Grand Canyon done right

2008-11-30T17:20:00.000-08:00

Day 8

Sunday, November 30, 2008

8:22 AM

43 degrees F

We awoke to blue skies, with no clouds in sight. It's cold and frosty and 6,000 feet above sea level. It snowed 2" here last week.

When we got to the Grand Canyon my Dad had another awesome surprise for me, it was a helicopter ride!

We had such a fun time, we saw just about the whole canyon in that area.
Up in the air looking down in seemed that everything I saw was just about as tall as I was. We were about 1-mile off the ground.After our helicopter ride we went hiking. We hiked along the rim of the canyon for 4-miles. It was interesting to see the canyon from this angle. Here we were looking out at the canyon, versus looking down from the helicopter. Each point of view is completely different.
You should go to the Grand Canyon, it is awesome!

Day 7: Las Vegas to Williams, Arizona

2008-11-30T16:45:00.000-08:00

Day 7

Saturday, November 29. 2008

8:14 AM

53 degrees F

15,120 miles on the Beast Odo

We left Las Vegas and were headed to Albuquerque, New Mexico.

On the way we took a short detour onto old historic Route 66.

Since we did not see the Grand Canyon the other day, we decided to stop at an RV park in Williams, AZ. We wanted to see the Canyon when it was sunny, and it was a beautiful day. We parked the Beast, un-hooked the toad, and drove to the canyon.

It was nothing that I thought it would be...it was better!

My Dad and I saw the sunset over the Grand Canyon, which was totally awesome!
We walked along the rim of the canyon and saw how massive it was from the top to bottom and side to side.

Day 6: Hoover Dam

2008-11-28T19:27:00.000-08:00

Day 6
Friday, November 28, 2008
8:30 AM
64 degrees F

Today was awesome! It was sunny and warm. Part of the reason today was so cool was that we went to Hoover Dam. My Dad and I went on a tour of the entire dam. Our tour guides name was Bob; he did a wonderful job, and we learned quite a bit from the tour. It took 5-years to build Hoover Dam, and cost $48 million dollars in 1931.
This is a picture of the generators on the Nevada side. There are 8 here, and 9 on the Arizona side. Each generator can power up to 65,000 homes.

This is the dam from the Arizona side. You can see the 4 intake towers upstream of the dam. These allow the water to flow into the turbines that generate the power.
After we left the dam, I wanted to go for a bike ride. We found a bike trail that was paved and rode for 6-miles.

When we left the bike trails, my Dad had a surprise for me: it was go-karting!
We had a blast there. I spun out because some kid hit the back of my go kart; but it was fun!

Day 5: Thanksgiving with the Indians

2008-11-28T19:06:00.000-08:00

Day 5
Thursday, Thanksgiving, November 27, 2008
8:33 AM
51 degrees F

Today we decided to go to the Sky Walk in Arizona, at Grand Canyon West. Some guy at Lopez told us that it was awesome! Well, if it was sunny day, it might be cool. But, it sucked! It was cold, foggy, and rainy. I would not go there again.
It was so foggy, that I could not even see the sky walk. It took us 3-hours to drive there, and there was nothing! The road was absolutely awful and all of the tourists were speaking Japanese.

Day 4: Mojave Desert to Las Vegas

2008-11-28T18:48:00.001-08:00

Day 4
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
6:45 AM
57 degrees F
14,792 miles on the Beast odometer
My Dad and I woke up to fog again. But, the good thing was that it cleared up when we started driving. When we crossed the Mojave Desert, we got to see the sun rise.

My Dad and I were on a mission. The water pump had broke. So we could not stop on the side of the road and sleep...we were forced to stay at RV parks to get water. So our mission was to get a new water pump.Close to Las Vegas there was a place that you can come to to get your RV fixed. Since we were already going to Las Vegas, it was on the way. After replacing the beast's pump we were off to Las Vegas.

Day 3: Sacramento to Mojave Desert

2008-11-28T18:25:00.000-08:00

Day 3
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
7:30 AM
64 degrees F
14,474 miles on the beast odometer

We woke up this morning, and my Dad said "...it's about time to get the beast washed...". There was a truck wash right next to the RV park that we were staying at. When we got there, my Dad got out to look for someone who worked there, and could not find anyone. After a while, he found a guy working on a truck. My Dad asked if the truck wash was open or not. The guy said that his guys were on a break. So, my Dad asked when the guys were going to get back? The guy said in a nasty tone "...they will be back when they're back...". So, we left.About a hundred miles later we stopped for fuel (You do this a lot in a bus that gets 6-7 miles per gallon) and there was a truck wash! Here, there were 4 guys, just waiting for us! They did a wonderful job. When they were done, my Dad said to me that this truck wash was probably the best truck wash he has seen ever done on the coach.

When it was getting dark my Dad said that we should probably be stopping soon because it's hard to drive in the dark. Well, it happened, we got stuck in the dark because the stupid RV park's signs were not visible to us...stupid RV park!

Day 2: Oregon to California

2008-11-26T12:10:00.000-08:00

Monday

November 24, 2008.

Coburg, Oregon
Road-time: 7:00 AM
58 degrees F
14,059 miles on the beast odometer

When we got here Sunday it was dark. When we awoke, it was dark, cold, and foggy.
Coburg, Oregon is about half way to the border of California

After entering California...

...we encountered this wonderful volcano, called Mount Shasta.

Farther south, we drove through groves of orange and olive trees. They were larger than 50 Walmarts put together.

Shortly thereafter, the bus went through swarms of bugs, they were like snow coming down, and the bus looked like a guys freckled back. It was time for a wash.
When the day was over, and it was time to rest the big beast, we stayed at an RV park that was just an overnight place to be. Nothing too good about it except the sunset, it was a very superior sunset.

Dog Doo on your shoe

2008-11-23T17:52:00.000-08:00

Sunday

November 23, 2008.

Road-time: 10:30 AM

48 degrees F

13,729 miles on the beast odometer.

My Dad and I where leaving to go to Red Bay, Alabama. This is where our 45' land yacht was built. We have a list of repairs, and we are taking the beast back to the factory so they can fix things.

We were just ready to leave, when my mom stepped in dog do and trailed it all throughout the coach. Before she stepped in poop, there was a problem with one of our 4 slides; it would not shut all the way. I found the problem, it was ice, a lot of ice, stuck on top of the slide. Then we had to get a ladder and climb up to remove the ice. Well, after all the commotion, my mom and sister left and finely, my dad and I were on the road.

We were on the road for a while when my dad said "...this land yacht feels like it rides on air..." It almost seems that it is a hoover-craft sometimes. The co-pilot seat is just like a really comfortable recliner in a livingroom.

At about 1:30 we entered Oregon. Then, we met the GT40. This red hot car with a white stripe pulled alongside and roared his engine. He beckoned us to race. My Dad floored the accellerator...but we were left in the dust.This is the land yacht, with its' toad. Together they are almost 65' long; a 45,000 pound behemoth. No match for a 3,000 pound GT-40

Now that the day is over, my Dad and I have parked this beastly thing, and we are listening to boy music (rock and roll), eating ceasar salads and BBQ chicken tortillas. We covered approximately 325 miles today. We would have traveled farther if mom had not stepped in the dog do. Tomorrow, we are off to California. It's a boy's life on the road.

Montana to Idaha and home

2008-06-04T09:09:00.000-07:00

One of our favorite places is a resort on Lake Pend Oreille called Beyond Hope. The resort has a small marina, about 1,000 feet on the east side of the lake, and a great restaurant and bar. We ended our 10-month journey with a few days here.

The kids fell in love with Wicket and Mama on the shores of Flathead lake. It was all we could do to keep them from smuggling these 2 rat-dogs aboard Edna.

After logging the 1,800 miles from Michigan to Glacier National Park, we settled for a few days of R&R and day hikes. Unfortunately, we were too early in the season and the road to the sun was still closed due to snow and slides, so we were restricted to the east side of the park. But, the weather was great and the scenery spectacular.

Day hikes and vistas in Glacier National Park.

We hope you have enjoyed following our journey over the past 10-months. I can not tell you how incredible this time was for all of us. Yes, there were some challenges. But, the relationships we have all gained, as well as the love and respect for each other, could not have been accomplished as well by any other means.

Our faithful steed, Ernal, and his large hipped woman, Edna, are for sale at this time. They have served us well and we will always have fond memories. As we traveled via RV we realized that there is not a better way to experience this vast country of ours. So, we are headed to Connecticut in a couple of weeks to take possession of a 45' Tiffin Zephyr, 4-slide, diesel pusher. Wish us luck. The journey continues.

Niagara Falls to Michigan's Upper Peninsula

2008-06-04T08:45:00.000-07:00

Yes, they are big; and wet! We had a great time exploring Niagara. You can ride an elevator to the bottom of American Falls, don your rain gear, and get very wet. It's kind of cool.
But, crossing the border and viewing the main falls from the Canadian side provides for a much better view. Crossing into Canada is no problem. Returning to the states (even with passports) we were grilled and the children were asked many questions. It was quite a contrast.

From Niagara we headed into the upper peninsula of Michigan. We spent Erik's 9Th birthday on Mackinaw island, and rode around the island on our bikes. The island is one big tourist trap, with very few cars, lots of hotels and restaurants.
Happy 9Th Birthday Erik!

From Michigan we logged about 2,000 miles to Montana. Our route was via highway 2 which is a wonderful western route to take. Most of this highway is a 2-laner, and much more beautiful than the interstate routes that travel from coast to coast in the US (and I have driven them all).

European Leg

2008-06-04T08:19:00.000-07:00

We took a 2-week side trip to Europe and did a whirlwind 5-country tour with Rick Steves.

Since this blog is a North American Road trip I will just post a few pictures here and not go into detail. This tour was a great experience; and just to give the kids a taste of different cultures. We will return at some future time and spend more time exploring the places we enjoyed most. Specifically, Italy. Rome, Florence, and Venice were spectacular!

Austria was a beautiful country. Below is Crazy Ludvig's castle, which Walt Disney modeled Cinderellas castle after.

We only had the opportunity to spend 1 afternoon in Florence; and I felt robbed. The history and art in this city is beyond description.

In Rome, at every turn, there are masterpieces adorning most buildings.

After our 2-weeks in Europe we returned to the states, jet-lagged and worn out.

New York

2007-05-18T17:27:00.000-07:00

The kids had to see Manhattan. I could have passed, since big cities are not my idea of fun. But we all had a great time! We found an RV park in Jersey city, just across the Hudson from Manhattan. It was more of a gravel parking lot, but it was close. The public transportation in New York is very good. Not as clean, or in as good of repair, as that in Washington D.C., but it gets you where you need to go, is on schedule and runs 24-hours a day.We arrived in the afternoon, and headed to Times Square. I have never experienced so much stimulus to the senses. The sights and sounds are almost overwhelming.We were blessed with fantastic weather (again). It seems this entire journey has only been interrupted with poor weather a few days (actually, we had more bad weather over the holidays when we returned to Seattle then we have since we departed on September 9, 2006). Most of our week in N.Y. was sunny skies and mid 70's to low 80's.Driving in Manhattan is not a good idea. Honking your horn is a $350 fine. But, we have come to the conclusion that being able to read is not a prerequisite to getting a drivers license in N.Y. Drivers are very aggressive, use their horns a lot, pound on their steering wheels often, roll down their windows and yell, run red lights, make illegal turns, double park, and the like.So, we decided to take a tour. The first tour we boarded was 1/2 a day and we visited Central Park, Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick's Cathedral, the financial district, ground zero of the twin towers, and China town. We really spent most of our time on board an old bus, but it was good to get acclimated to the layout of the city and worth the time. We have found that in big cities it is best to bite the bullet, and take a tour on your first full day. Get an orientation, and then plan what you want to do thereafter. During the second half of that day, and the following, we boarded a double decker bus that follows several routes throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn. This was great, and we could have skipped the previous bus tour. These buses follow pre-determined routes, have a tour guide describing what you are passing, and you can get on or off when ever you want. There are 2 such tour companies: one has red buses, and one has blue buses. We chose the blue bus company from a recommendation received; and it was the wrong one to choose. They left us stranded in Central park as their buses stopped running (still not sure why), and when we purchased our tickets we were told all of their buses run until 2:00 AM: after being stranded the first time we realized some of them stop running at 5:00 PM; and other's stop running just whenever they feel like it and/or the traffic gets so bad that the drivers just decide to do something else.This picture is taken from the top of the bus, in Harlem, looking down a row of tenement houses. We were surprised to see that most of Harlem was pretty clean, and our tour guide told us that the crime rate in Harlem is actually lower then most of the more expensive neighborhoods. Rudy Giuliani really cleaned up the city with his "no tolerance" campaign. We were never concerned, afraid, or felt threatened. We did not see anyone who had any problems. We rode many many subways, and there were absolutely no problems.Central park is a jewel. It covers between 800-900 acres with large beautiful trees and landscaping. Every single tree was planted there. It is very safe, and used a lot by the residents and visitors to the city. We took a brief carriage ride, and the kids enjoyed climbing on the granite rocks that are all throughout the park. Manhattan is made up of the hardest granite known to man. This is why they are able to build such high buildings, and tunnel underneath. It is a perfect bedrock material to support such structures, and build tunnels without the fear of cave-ins.You have to take a boat to access Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. These two stops are packaged in a tour, and you can rent an audio package, with headphones, that guides you through the exhibits. We do not do museums well since we all get bored and stop reading the captions below the exhibits. I thought that the audio package might allow us to learn more. It was fantastic! I will do this again, every time it is available. We spent hours at Ellis island going through the exhibits; and it is very well done. The Statue is of course on a separate island, so you get to board the boat again. Unfortunately, tours up to the crown and the torch have ceased, and you can only climb 258 stairs to the top of the base. It's OK, but I can only imagine what it used to be like. Nevertheless, quite a humbling experience.On our last day we decided to take the subway to Coney Island. Since it was a Thursday, most of the rides were closed, and Erik was too short to ride the Cyclone, and too tall for the kiddie rides. The amusement park is very old and uneventful. However, it borders the water, with a good beach and very wide wooden boardwalk. I would not make this a priority if I visited, but overall, not bad.

We left the big city and headed up-state about 100 miles into the country. It is beautiful here. Farms, rolling hills, and rivers. Spring is in its glory, folks are more laid back, and we are enjoying it. Next Saturday we board a plane to Rome, and spend 2-weeks touring Italy, Switzerland, Austria, and then fly out of Paris on June 10, 2007. When we return we will begin the 3,000 mile trek out west. We rented a house on Lopez Island this week and will settle down there in mid-july.

Our best to all of you following our journey.

Love the Paton's

Atlantic City

2007-05-18T16:28:00.000-07:00

I had always wanted to visit Atlantic City. Not sure why, but a city, on the Atlantic Ocean, with a 6-7 mile long wooden boardwalk just sounded cool! It's not.We plugged in the closest public parking lot to the boardwalk and were directed to this spot (above). This was the back of a building that fronted on the boardwalk, so it was close. However, we were not sure if our truck would still be here when we returned. That Lincoln has been stripped, and there are enough used mattresses to furnish a hotel on highway 99. Dumpsters are overflowing, graffiti is rampant, and eerily, there were not many folks around: except these 4 characters, smoking and drinking (after all, it was after 10:00 AM). Nevertheless, we decided to risk body and life, and donned our backpacks to trek the boardwalk.

It was a foggy day; adding to the mystery of why anyone would spend their time here. We strolled the boardwalk for about an hour; traveling 1-2 miles south. If you did not know (and I did not), Atlantic City is a gamblers mecca. Most, if not all, of the money in this town comes from Donald Trump and the like. Between the casinos are junk touristy shops of souvenirs and T-shirts, rat food joints, tobacco shops, liquor (they call them "package stores"), massage parlors, and fortune telling shops. That's it! every 1/8 mile there is another string of them. No kidding. Like you would have missed the last package store, or needed your fortune told again since you forgot it already from 10 minutes previously.

Now, I know this is politically incorrect, but it was kind of a freak show here. Maybe it was because it was around noon, but this guy in the wheel chair had no arms (but he had hands) and he was holding a plastic jar begging for cash. 100 yards down the boardwalk was a lady who appeared to have been burnt over 80% of her body and had half a dozen major surgery scars on half of her appendages, also begging. Another 100 yards there was a guy with no body below his belly button. No kidding! he was "sitting" (I don't know how you do that without a butt) on the boardwalk. It looked like there was a hole in the boardwalk and only his upper body was sticking through; but that was not the case. No hips, no butt, no legs, you know...not even one of those. No, I don't know how he does that. It was freaky. We turned around and headed back for the truck. We had had enough of Atlantic City.
I could not believe this was it. We spent the next 2 hours driving up and down blocks trying to find something worth seeing. Couldn't find it. Didn't exist. So we packed up the truck and headed to New York.

Not a place we need to visit again. Unless you are an avid gambler, give it a pass.

Blue Ridge Parkway

2007-05-07T16:05:00.000-07:00

Jeanne really wanted to drive the Blue Ridge Parkway. This is not a road for 55' land yachts (although we did see a few). I had been watching the weather on the Parkway for the past 6 weeks. The highest elevation is over 6,000 feet and it snowed up there just 10 days ago: I was a little apprehensive!

The Blue Ridge Parkway travels 469 miles from Northern Virginia to the SW corner of North Carolina. It is often referred to as the best road trip in America: and it is great! Just north of the parkway is Shenandoah National Park. This park runs 100 miles through the northern section of the Appalachian Mountains, and where it ends, the Blue Ridge Parkway begins. Just South of the Blue Ridge Parkway, is Smokey Mountain National Park; which runs about 50 miles into Tennessee: We did the whole run; and it was great!

Much of the parkway was built in the 1930's by the CCC. The first lodge we stayed in was in the Shenandoah National Park, and was built in the 1930's. While not as spectacular as some of the CCC built structures around the country we have seen, it had similar flavors, and was an enjoyable experience.

This Mill is the most photographed spot of the Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP).
The road is a motorcyclists dream. I caught myself leaning into the corners (which is just not the same in a 1-ton dually). The whole 469 miles (OK 600 miles including Shenandoah and the Great Smokey Mountains), was very picturesque. I longed for my bike.

There are thousands of miles of hiking trails; but, these mountains are what us West coasters would call foothills. They look like the lowlands of the cascades; just rolling hills: and there are very few conifers.

However, there are rhododendrons: as big as a house, and whole forests of them, I can only imagine what hiking through these deciduous forests with huge Rhodie's in full bloom must be like. About half way down the BRP we stumbled onto a second lodge, in a secluded spot that was like something out of a dream. Sitting on the back veranda, sipping wine, and watching the sun set after a leisurely hike with my son was a religious experience (if I was a religious man). This is a picture from our room, and the back veranda.At the extreme south end of the BRP we stayed in a log cabin built in the 1700's (yes it had been restored). It was my birthday, and I wanted to go to a motorcycle museum we had passed the day before. This guy had the largest collection of U.S built antique motorcycles in the world. It was fantastic! That's me, sitting on a fully restored Indian Motorcycle that was once owned by Joe Montana. We spent over 2-hours here, and a real affection ado could easily spend the entire day. The collection was more like visiting an art museum.
This is one of Evil Kenevals motorcycles: for real!

Overall; a great trip. There are 3 distinct seasons in the BRP: Spring, summer, and fall. Fall is the most popular, with the leaves of all the deciduous trees, I can only imagine how spectacular it must be. Something to look forward to another time. Spring: this is what we hit. and we were a little early at that. But, no traffic or crowds. Above 3,000 feet the leaves had not yet opened up. Locals told us that beginning in May, the leaves open up every 100 foot rise in elevation each day. We actually experienced this over our 6 day journey in the Appalachians. Most of the parkway is closed in the winter.

My best suggestion if you come: bring your motorcycle, the roads are great!

Washington D.C.

2007-05-07T15:09:00.000-07:00

We rolled into Maryland to tour the nation's capital.

The traffic in Washington D.C. is terrible! Locals will tell you it is the worst in the country, second to only L.A. I believe them. We spent 2-hours traveling 10 miles the other day. It's enough to give you road rage; and the drivers are very aggressive and like to tail gate.

If you come here, the public transportation is great. The subways are fantastic, and I do not understand why other large cities (like Seattle) do not have similar systems. It was easy to use and navigate, affordable, with excellent schedules, and clean. At each station there were people to help if you were an idiot (like me), and could not understand the directions on the automated ticketing machines. But, once you figured it out, it was easy.

Of course, you will want to visit the Smithsonian's. We did everything backwards; so here is how you do it:

1) Start at the Smithsonian Castle. There they have short films that are documentaries of each Smithsonian, and what they display. There are too many for you to do in a week, so you will have to prioritize what you want to see.

2) Pay the cash, and ride the Tourmobile. This is an articulated bus like trolley that runs a loop around the majority of the city. You can get on and off as often as you like, and the drivers give a spiel along the way. It really helps to acclimate you to the city (I think it was $20 for an adult, and about half for a kid).

After you do this you will have a better idea of how you want to spend your time

Here is an example of how our Federal Government conserves your tax dollars. In the late 1990's Congress decided we needed a visitors center at the Capitol building. Since the most expensive way to do it was to dig under the Capital, and place it underground, that is what they decided to do. The budget was something like $200 million dollars. After September 11, 2001 someone questioned the wisdom of a visitors center under the capitol, but they had spent so much money they decided they could not stop. We were told that they have gone over budget a little bit (up to $600 million to date, and counting). It's still not finished.

The kids really wanted to tour the White House, and I wanted to go to the top of the Washington Monument (the last time I was here it was closed for restoration). But, tickets to the White house are a perk for your congressman. If you want to go you have to contact your congressman's office at least 2-months in advance for a ticket.

Tickets for the Washington Monument are about a month out (during the slow season). Although I was told that if you are waiting in line at 8:00 AM out front you might be able to get one for later that day.
All in all: a great experience. We toured about 6 Smithsonian's, and they were all spectacular. The kids were overwhelmed by the Holocaust museum, and we missed about half of the exhibits. It is very educational, and I will do it again in the future. The art museum was spectacular. We viewed paintings by several masters: Rembrandt, Monet, Da Vinci, etc.

Of course, the air and space museum, Native American Museum (which is relatively new), and more.
To break up the museum hopping we drove out to Mount Vernon for a day. This is George Washington's plantation, where he lived most of his adult life. The plantation encompassed over 8,000 acres during his lifetime. Today, they have managed to hold into 500 acres and it is a great side trip. I came here 20 years ago and it was very different. At that time you could drive right up to the mansion, and pretty much walk around the entire plantation with free reign (I do not remember paying a fee to enter). Today, it is very commercialized, but done fairly well. It was also very crowded, but worth a trip. Don't do it on a weekend!

Hope all is well with our family and friends.

Love, the Paton's

Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown, VA

2007-04-16T08:08:00.000-07:00

History, Wow! These Virginians really have a lot of it and they know how to present it.

2007 is the 400-year anniversary of the first settlers landing in Virginia. Jamestown was the first settlement in the new world by Europeans and it was bank-rolled by Capitalists. This entire endeavor was a business proposition. Businessmen from England found 104 men and boys, convinced them to sail to the new world and establish a settlement, and financed the whole operation to make a profit.

Now, Non-profit groups in Virginia have re-created the original Jamestown settlement (fort), the neighboring Indian villages (Pocahontas's tribe), and replicas of the 3 ships the settlers sailed from England in. The "settlement" also has a wonderful museum and learning center, and you can participate in "tours" of the settlement(s) with a guide resplendent in authentic era-garb. Williamsburg:

The history that took place in this town is incredible. For purposes here, this is the birthplace of America. the Declaration of Independence was drafted in the taverns of Williamsburg by Thomas Jefferson. The historic district covers about a square mile and has been re-created and preserved. Many of the structures are open for the public and many employees of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation dress as 18Th century historic figures in the restored site of Virginia's Capital.

As you walk the streets you may come across George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, or other founding fathers giving speeches in the streets and taverns: you truly feel as though you are participating in the debates of the 18Th century. If you are a history buff, or want to learn more about the challenges and steps that were taken to forge the United States of America, this is an excellent place to do it. Yorktown:

Less than 20 miles away sits Yorktown. On October 19, 1791, the decisive military campaign of the American Revolution culminated with the British surrender to American and French forces commanded by George Washington. Near the site of this original battle sits the Yorktown victory center with a Continental Army encampment, museum, and the re-creation of a 1780's farm.

If you go: These are historical interpretive and interactive tourist destinations. You could easily spend at least a week here (although we were burnt out historically after 3-days). There are daily programs at Williamsburg that cover different historical periods; Monday through Friday. Also, they have evening performances that include plays and presentations from 7:00 - 10:00 p.m. I suggest you cover the 3 main districts in historical order: 1) Jamestown (there is a re-created settlement and museum, as well as the actual site of Jamestown further down the road). Allocate 1 full day for both of these sites. Bring a lunch to picnic at the historic site as it is on the river and beautiful. 2) Williamsburg: as noted, you could spend a week here alone. Go for a day and see how you enjoy it. Bring good walking shoes since that is most of what you will be doing. Make your first stop the visitor's center and get a copy of the "Program listings for the week" so you know what is happening. 3) Yorktown: several hours will get you through the victory center and museum. Nearby is the actual site of the siege (which we missed).

Our best to all following our travels.

The Paton's

The Outer Banks of North Carolina

2007-04-16T06:24:00.000-07:00

Probably the most photographed lighthouse in the world, the Cape Hatteras lighthouse is spectacular! Unfortunately for us tours are not open until April 21st, and we were unable to climb the stairs to the top of the lighthouse.

A few years ago the lighthouse was threatened by erosion and destined to fall into the sea. The Federal Government endeavored to have the lighthouse moved almost 2,100 feet inland to its present location shown.
Not far to the north is the site of Kitty Hawk, and the first flight by Wilbur and Orville Wright. This location is a National Monument run by the Federal Government. In addition to a visitors center and several monuments, is a replica of the Wright brothers first glider. With this glider the brothers fine-tuned their theories on the mechanics of flight as well as wing design and lift. Several unsuccessful flights and crashes preceded the construction and successful flights of the famous flying machine.

A full-scale replica of the motorized aircraft successfully flown by the Wright Brothers 0n December 17, 1903 is on display. The original flight lasted 12 seconds and the craft flew a total of 120 feet. Unfortunately, a strong wind flipped the craft shortly thereafter and destroyed it. This replica was built with a grant of over $1,000,000, and is fully functional with adjustable wings and movable rudders.
The Wright Brothers were bicycle mechanics from Ohio. They came down to the Outer Banks each summer/fall to test their theories and models for several years because of prevailing winds and good sand dunes to launch off of. They built and employed a wind tunnel to test and develop their wing shapes and designs. Not bad for a couple of bike salesmen.

Myrtle Beach, N.C.

2007-04-16T05:58:00.000-07:00

Sunrise

I think that everyone from both Carolina's, Georgia, and Virginia come here for vacation. The beach marches up the coast for about 30 miles, and the metropolitan areas have followed the beaches as vacationers have come here to play in the surf.

The weather was great, with temperatures in the mid-60's to mid-70's. We spent 3-days at the state park until our poop tanks got full and we had to dump (this is one of my favorite chores. However, I have trained Jeanne how to empty the poop tanks and now we get to share this task).

The beach in this area is one RV park after another; and these are by far the largest RV parks we have ever seen. During the "off season" (Labor day to April 1) people store their trailers in vacant lots. In a mile long stretch of the main roadway there is no less than 30 acres of trailers that are in storage until their owners arrive for their annual vacations on the beach. The park we stayed in for 1 week after leaving the state park had 2,000 RV spaces, and was the smallest of 3 parks in a row. This picture is taken from the roof of Edna looking south, towards the next RV park. Keep in mind that this picture was taken before "prime-time" and the parks were only about 65% full. Come mid-April through Labor day all of these parks are 100% full, with reservations taken up to 1-year n advance.

This stop was a great diversion from our historical sight-seeing. I'm just glad we were here before the masses.

Northern-bound again.

Charleston, South Carolina

2007-03-29T08:28:00.000-07:00

Early history of Charleston

Charles II granted the chartered Carolina territory to eight of his loyal friends in 1663. It took seven years before the Lords could arrange for settlement, the first being that of Charles Town. The community was established by English settlers in 1670. Charleston became the capital of South Carolina, and was the southernmost point of English settlement during the late 1600s.

The settlement was often subject to attack from sea and from land. Periodic assaults from Spain and France, who still contested England's claims to the region, were combined with resistance from Indians as well as pirate raids. Charleston's colonists erected a fortification wall around the small settlement to aid in its defense. One of two buildings that remain from the Walled City is the Powder Magazine, where the city's supply of gunpowder was stored (below).

Major Atlantic port

By the mid-18th century Charleston had become a bustling trade center, the hub of the Atlantic trade for the southern colonies, and the wealthiest and largest city south of Philadelphia. By 1770 it was the fourth largest port in the colonies, after only Boston, New York, and Philadelphia, with a population of 11,000, slightly more than half of that slaves. Rice and indigo had been successfully cultivated by gentleman planters in the surrounding coastal low-country. Those and naval stores were exported in an extremely profitable shipping industry. It was the cultural and economic center of the South.

Charleston became more prosperous in the plantation-dominated economy of the post-Revolutionary years. The invention of the cotton gin in 1793 revolutionized this crop's production, and it quickly became South Carolina's major export. Cotton plantations relied heavily on slave labor. Slaves were also the primary labor force within the city, working as domestics, artisans, market workers or laborers.Pre-Civil War Political Changes

In the first half of the 19th century, South Carolinians became more devoted to the idea that state's rights were superior to the Federal government's authority. During this period over 90 percent of Federal funding was generated from import duties, collected by custom houses such as the one in Charleston. In 1832 South Carolina passed an ordinance of nullification, a procedure in which a state could in effect repeal a Federal law, directed against the most recent tariff acts. Soon Federal soldiers were dispensed to Charleston's forts and began to collect tariffs by force. A compromise was reached by which the tariffs would be gradually reduced, but the underlying argument over state's rights would continue to escalate in the coming decades.

Fort Sumter today. The walls are 1-level high.

War
On April 10, 1861, Brig. Gen. Beauregard, in command of the provisional Confederate forces at Charleston, South Carolina, demanded the surrender of the Union garrison of Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor. Garrison commander Anderson refused. On April 12, Confederate batteries opened fire on the fort, which was unable to reply effectively. At 2:30 p.m., April 13, Major Anderson surrendered Fort Sumter, evacuating the garrison on the following day. The bombardment of Fort Sumter was the opening engagement of the American Civil War.

The Original 3-level Fort: Pre-destruction

We had the opportunity to visit Fort Sumter. For some reason I was expecting to see a preserved fort as it was in the late 1800's. I guess I was not as up to date on my history as I had thought. The fort was reduced to ruins during the civil war (mostly by the Union as they tried to re-take the fort) as it was subjected to constant shelling for almost 22 months.

To the right of Erik's head is a shell embedded into the brick wall. This shell was launched by the Union during their 22 month bombardment on Fort Sumter. McLeod is sitting on a bricked-in casement (a hole that the cannons fired through). The fort was lined with casements on 3 sides and designed for an armament of 135 guns.

This line of cannon was UN-earthed during restoration and excavation. During the construction of Battery Huger (below) these casements were filled with sand to help support and strengthen the original 5-foot thick brick walls.

As you enter the fort you are immediately awestruck by a huge black monstrosity, named Battery Huger, that was erected within the walls of the Fort during the Spanish-American War and completed in 1899. It is hideous! If you go to Charleston, I'm not sure I would suggest the tour of Fort Sumter (unless you are a real civil war buff). You must get to the fort by boat, and the round trip takes about 3-hours. However, I wish I still had my imagination of a preserved civil war era fort intact. The realization of what the fort is today has tarnished those visions.

The Hunley

The H. L. Hunley, a submarine of the Confederate Navy, was almost 40-feet long, was built at Mobile, Alabama, launched in July 1863, and shipped by rail to Charleston, SC on August 12, 1863.

On the night of February 17, 1864, the H.L. Hunley embarked on a dangerous mission that would forever mark her place in history. Eight men, led by Lt. George Dixon, entered an experimental vessel that was to become the first successful submarine in world history, with a mission to sink an enemy ship, the USS Housatonic. That night, the Hunley rammed her spar torpedo into the hull of the Housatonic. She then surfaced long enough for her crew to signal their comrades on the shore of Sullivan’s Island with a blue magnesium light,(or lantern) indicating a successful mission. The shore crew stoked their signal fires and anxiously awaited the Hunley's safe return. But minutes after her historic achievement, the Hunley and all hands onboard vanished into the sea without a trace. The Hunley was found by Clive Cussler, the renowned author and creator of Grandma Pat's hero Dirk Pit (some claim my father is the re-incarnation of Pit).

This is a replica of the interior of the Hunley. It was "human-powered" by 7 men.

For more information visit http://www.hunley.org/ We were able to see the Hunley as she sits submersed in a tank undergoing painstaking restoration and desalination. The curators hope to have her ready for display (out of the water) within the next several years.

Today

Charleston is a notable tourist destination, with streets lined with grand live oaks draped with Spanish moss. Along the waterfront in an area known as "Rainbow Row" are many beautiful and historic pastel-colored homes. The city is also an important port, boasting the second largest container seaport on the East Coast and the fourth largest container seaport in North America. It is also the second most productive port in the World behind Hong Kong.

Hurricane Hugo hit Charleston in 1989, and though the worst damage was in nearby McClellanville, the storm damaged three-quarters of the homes in Charleston's historic district. The hurricane caused over $2.8 billion in damage.

Charleston is a magnificent city. We spent over a week and I will return again. The history, architecture, delicious southern fare, and delightful residents all make for a wonderful experience.

The Paton's

Savannah, Georgia

2007-03-29T07:40:00.000-07:00

Savannah's recorded history begins in 1733. That's the year General James Oglethorpe and the 120 passengers of the good ship "Anne" landed on a bluff high along the Savannah River in February. Oglethorpe named the 13th and final American colony "Georgia" after England's King George II. Savannah became its first city.The colony of Georgia was chartered as a buffer zone for South Carolina, protecting it from the advance of the Spanish in Florida. Under the original charter, individuals were free to worship as they pleased and rum, lawyers and slavery were forbidden - for a time.

Upon settling, Oglethorpe became friends with the local Yamacraw Indian chief, Tomochichi. Oglethorpe and Tomochichi pledged mutual goodwill, and the Yamacraw chief granted the new arrivals permission to settle Savannah on the bluff. As a result the town flourished without warfare and accompanying hardship that burdened many of America's early colonies.

Savannah is known as America's first planned city. Oglethorpe laid the city out in a series of grids that allowed for wide open streets intertwined with shady public squares and parks that served as town meeting places and centers of business. Savannah had 24 original squares; 21 are still in existence. The squares are really large public parks.

These "squares" are 1-block square with incredibly beautiful 200-250 year-old homes surrounding them. The layout is unlike anything I have ever seen before and truly creates a wonderful feeling. I can only imagine how these squares contributed to the social atmosphere of the neighborhoods over 2 centuries ago. If you remember Forest Gump; the final scene where he sat at the bus station for hours was filmed at this "square". The director set a bench where the tulips are now planted.

HISTORY
During the American Revolution, the British took Savannah in 1778 and held it into 1782. A land-sea force of French and Americans tried to retake the city in 1779, first by siege and then by direct assault, but failed.
After independence was secured, Savannah flourished. Soon, farmers discovered that the soil was rich and the climate favorable for cultivation of cotton and rice. Plantations and slavery became highly profitable systems for whites in the neighboring "Lowcountry" of South Carolina. So Georgia, the free colony, legalized slavery. The trans-Atlantic slave trade brought many African-Americans through the port of Savannah. Many who stayed in the area formed the unique Gullah culture of the coastal communities in Georgia and South Carolina.

With the wealth brought by cotton, residents built lavish homes and churches throughout the city. After the invention of the cotton gin on a plantation outside of Savannah, the city rivaled Charleston as a commercial port. Many of the world's cotton prices were set on the steps of the Savannah Cotton Exchange. The building is still in existence.

But Savannah was not spared from misfortune. Two devastating fires in 1796 and 1820 each left half of Savannah in ashes, but residents re-built. The year 1820 saw an outbreak of yellow fever that killed a tenth of its population. Savannah also survived fires, epidemics and hurricanes, but always bounced back.

Pre-Civil War Savannah was praised as the most picturesque and serene city in America. It was known for its grand oaks festooned with Spanish moss and its genteel citizenry. While the Spanish Moss that hangs from Savannah’s majestic oaks is a true reminder that you are in the romantic deep South, it does not make a great souvenir. Often undetectable by the naked eye, a small biting bug called a chigger makes Spanish Moss its home. During the early days of the Colony, residents often stuffed and bounded their mattresses with the soft and bountiful Spanish Moss only to wake up irritated and itchy after the tiny bugs invaded their slumber. As a result, a common phrase emerged in Savannah, and it was – “Goodnight neighbor, sleep tight, and don’t let the bed bugs bite!” Henry Ford also stuffed the seats of the first Model T with Spanish Moss.

During the Civil War, the city suffered from sea blockades so strict that the economy crumbled. "Impregnable" Fort Pulaski at the mouth of the Savannah River was captured by Union soldiers in 1862. The city itself did not fall until Union General William Tecumseh Sherman entered on December 22,1864, after burning the city of Atlanta and everything else in his path on his "march to the sea." Upon entering Savannah, Sherman was said to be so impressed by its beauty that he could not destroy it. On December 22, 1864, he sent a famous telegram to President Abraham Lincoln, offering the city as a Christmas present.

Reconstruction began. Food was scarce in Savannah, and the economy was in ruins. Despite these hardships and the added burdens of prejudice, the freed slaves who remained in Savannah built a thriving community, with its own churches, schools and economic strength. Savannah became one of the most historically significant African-American cities in the nation.
At the turn of the 20th century, cotton was king again. Savannah thrived, as did her new industries, including the export of resin and lumber. Then the boll weevils came, destroying most of the cotton and the state's economy—about the same time that the Great Depression began.

It wasn't until the post-war years that Savannah bounced back again, not just economically but also culturally and aesthetically. A group of women banded together in the 1950s to preserve historic structures threatened by the wrecking ball. Their brave endeavors began the Historic Savannah Foundation, which is credited with saving the beautiful architecture that was the foundation of Savannah's charm.

Savannah's Historic District was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1966. It is one of the largest historic landmarks in the country.

Savannah's 21 green squares and 1,600-plus historically and architecturally significant structures are all within a 2.5 square mile area. Wear your walking shoes and stroll the Historic District.

Daytona Beach and St. Augustine

2007-03-01T11:47:00.000-08:00

We are not big race fans, but we had heard of the Daytona 500. However, we did not plan to roll into this seaside town 3 days before the big race. It was crowded! We settled into a beach front RV park and half of the rigs were flying flags of their favorite racers. But, the site was nice and we were right on the Atlantic Ocean.

Strange thing, this Atlantic Ocean. You have to get up real early to see the sun over the sea.
When you have spent your whole life on the west coast you just take for granted that the sun always sets over the ocean in the west.
The surf was good and every day for recess we donned our life jackets and got slammed against the sand. This sand was very red in color, and if you looked close it looked like crushed sea shells.
We drove north up the coast road towards Jacksonville. About 50 miles north we came to St Augustine. None of us knew anything about this town and we were not prepared for what we found. St. Augustine represents the site of the oldest continuously occupied European and African American settlements in the United States. As part of Ponce de León's 1513 claim to La Florida, St. Augustine was established in 1565 by Don Pedro Menéndez de Avilés on the site of a Timucuan Indian village.

Spain's "new world" wealth came mostly from the Caribbean. Spanish Galleons would have to sail in convoy for protection against freebooters, enemy warships, and privateers. They would follow the wind and current in a great circular route from Spain westward to Caribbean ports, then northward from Cuba, past Florida, and then back to Spain. The French colony of Fort Caroline on the St Johns River in northern Florida, was a nest of pirates and a threat to the Spanish treasure fleets. In 1565 the Spaniards destroyed Fort Caroline and established St Augustine.
In 1672 the Spaniards began building Castillo de San Marcos (above) which they completed in 1695. This is the oldest masonry fort in the country. This is a very impressive structure. Cannons ring the top wall and the small structure you can see at the base of the wall is a cannon ball oven they would use to heat the cannon balls red hot and then fire them at incoming enemy ships to set them on fire (no one told me how they got the red hot balls into the cannons though).

Since the beginning of its construction the Castillo de San Marcos has played an important role as a strategic military post in the New World. Many flags have flown here during the Castillo's illustrious history as an active military fortification, including the Spanish (1695 - 1763) the British (1763 - 1784), the Spanish again (1784 - 1821), the United States of America (1821 - 1861), the Confederate States of America (1861 - March of 1862), and finally the United States of America again (1862 - 1900). Changes in occupation of the fort came about only through military agreements or political treaty. Amazingly, the Castillo, although attacked, was never taken by force.

By the late 17Th century, St. Augustine had become the seat of Spanish military, political, and ecclesiastical power in Florida. During the time St. Augustine was held by the Spanish, African slaves from the English Carolina Colony found Florida a safe haven. The Spanish Crown granted refuge and freedom to blacks if they embraced Catholicism and pledged allegiance to the King.
Today, the heart of St. Augustine retains the distinctive plan of a 16th century Spanish Colonial town, much of which has been preserved or restored. The numerous remaining colonial buildings in the historic district present an impressive array of architecture from 1703 to 1898.
Some of the most noted buildings in the district are located on the Plaza de la Constitución, the colonial community's focal point. Here are found the Government House (governor's residence, built 1713), Trinity Episcopal Church (1825), and the Basilica Cathedral of St. Augustine which incorporates the 1797 parish church and is one of the oldest Catholic religious buildings in the U.S.During the late 19th century, St. Augustine became the destination of America's rich and famous. In 1885, railroad tycoon and former Standard Oil partner Henry Morrison Flagler moved Florida's resorts to a new level with his 540-room grand Ponce de León Hotel in St. Augustine. The first of three Flagler hotels in the city, the Ponce de León (now the main building of Flagler College) combined exotic Spanish Renaissance and Moorish architectural features with innovative poured concrete construction.Whisked south in their private cars on Flagler's Florida East Coast Railroad, notables such as the Vanderbilts, Rockefellers, and Morgans made St. Augustine their winter home.

The old hotel (now a college) has the largest collection of Tiffany stained glass windows in the world. They are insured by Lloyd's for $20 million dollars.

We enjoyed this city so much we spent 2 days here touring the sites and walking the streets. This was a very pleasant surprise and worth a visit if you are in the area.

Back to the Pan handle.

Disneyworld

2007-02-27T12:29:00.000-08:00

The day we left the Keys it rained 9". Yes, nine inches. Our timing was perfect!
Right or wrong, part of our "parenting strategy" seems to include bribery, blackmail, threats, and other actions that might be illegal if applied to anyone besides your children. When we began this journey we knew we would spend time in Florida; and the kids asked if we could go to Disneyworld. "...of course we will go... if you guys are good...if you do your chores...if your schoolwork is at xxx level...". Well, all of you parents know that we would go there regardless, and we did. I do not think there are bag people in Disneyworld. But, this guy, Elden, was pretty close. He must live here! Elden has every souvenir pin ever made by Walt Disney (he even has personalized plates on this scooter).
We spent our first day at Epcot. They have added quite a few attractions since Jeanne and I were first there about 12 years ago. If you have never been, Epcot is more of an amusement park for adults then the Magic Kingdom. Crowds were OK, and we were able to take almost all of the rides. The picture above was from a greenhouse, run by Disney, were they research and develop more productive ways to grow edibles, without any pesticides or insects. Most of the vegetables and fruits we saw were grown with hydroponics, and the yield was incredible. They had 9 lb. lemons, and many of the species were grown off the ground, like this pumpkin tree above. Note the small amount of soil used.
The following day we trekked to Disney's Wild Kingdom. This is a Disneyfied zoo, with many good amusement rides, and a great "safari-like" zoo adventure that could only be accomplished by Disney. You boarded over-sized safari trucks and zoomed through a re-created African preserve. All of the animals were free roaming as we drove along mud trails through herds of Hippo, lions, elephant, rhinos, giraffes, etc. It was a great zoo-like experience coupled with Disney touches such as bridges that were creaking and moving creating the impression they were about to fall.

The third day we headed to the Magic Kingdom. No different than the one in Anaheim. For some reason the kids still gathered autographs and wanted their pictures taken with every character we passed.

We bought a 7-day pass to the parks; which was too much for Jeanne and I. If we ever go again 3-4 days will be it. The marginal cost for the 7Th day was $2, so there was no reason to not buy the additional days (we only used 5 I think). On the fourth day we moved to an RV park owned by Disney, and inside the Disneyworld complex, called Fort Wilderness. What a great experience! We had heard about this place from people down in the keys. Several of these folks told us that they spend a month here and do not even go into the parks. It was huge, and inexpensive, with bars, restaurants, dozens of miles of bike trails, swimming pools, horse stables, and boat as well as bus transportation directly to the parks if you choose. We will return.

The Keys

2007-02-12T13:17:00.000-08:00

There are over 800 islands in the Florida Keys. Many are wildlife sanctuaries owned by the state and federal government: about 30 are inhabited by people. The land belonged to the Spanish until 1821 when it was sold to a businessman from Mobile, Alabama for $2,000. Key West was founded in 1822 and by the 1850's grew to about 2,700 people most of whom worked as "wreckers" salvaging millions of dollars of cargo from ships that ran aground on the reefs. Cargo included everything from gold, silver, china, tea, lumber, cotton, laces, silk, rums, fine wines, to elegant furniture. By 1830 Key West was the richest city per ca pita in the entire United States and was so for about 50 years. In 1856 alone, the 2,000 residents split almost $400,000 in booty. That would equal $7,000,000 in today's dollars.

In 1869 refugees from the Cuban civil war began to arrive, Among them was Vicente Martinez Ybor, a major Cuban cigar manufacturer. Soon the city became the world's leading cigar manufacturing center with 166 factories producing 100 million cigars each year; all hand rolled!

The next industry to arrive was sponging. Sponges from Key West soon became known as superior to sponges from elsewhere. This industry once grossed $750,000 (in 1800 dollars). A red tide killed all of the sponge beds and destroyed this industry.

In 1905 railroad magnate Henry Flagler extended his railroad from Miami to Key West. It took him 7 years to complete the line in 1912, and then he promptly died. In September of 1935 a hurricane struck packing 200 mph winds, which washed out the tracks and killed 800 people.

The Overseas highway was built directly on the old railroad bed and opened in 1938. You can actually see some of the old railroad bridges when you drive this highway.

During the Great Depression the population dropped from 23,000 to 11,000: 80% of which were on public assistance. By 1933 Key West was unable to pay the salaries of city employees and went bankrupt. The richest city in the salvage days was now the poorest city in 1933.

In 1933 the federal emergency relief act announced that it would transform Key West into a tourist mecca. They built an aquarium as the first tourist attraction. We visited the aquarium where you could actually hold some of the animals. McLeod and Erik are holding a type of "pincher-less" crab. These guys burrow into the sand and look exactly like stingrays. Sometimes the beaches are littered with these guys as they come ashore to mate. People who are unfamiliar with them think they are stingrays and terrified to walk the beaches.

We began our time in the Keys at "Fiesta Key" which is about 35 miles South of Key Largo (the first and closest key to Miami and the "mainland"). Fiesta Key is a small island all of which is taken up by a KOA campground. Our site was the best one on the Key: at the end of a point with this view of the sunset. We were told that people usually reserve this spot up to 1-year in advance. The sea wall had lobster that burrowed their homes underneath and came out in the evening to feed. As I looked over the sea wall shortly after arriving a 2.5 foot skate swam by and the fish-life was like looking into a tropical fish tank.
Shortly before the sunset this Ramada filled up with people, wine glass in hand, all coming out to view the sun setting over the horizon. RV parks in the Keys are a little different than other places we have visited. Here there was a store, pool, swimming beach, boat launch, marina, boat rentals and fishing charters, a full service bar and restaurant. The property was amazing and I could not see how it could support an RV park. The next day I learned that the entire island had been sold to developers for $22 million. Condos are going in starting at $2 million each. I guess this is the last time we will be able to visit Fiesta Key.Farther down the road we settled into another KOA campground on Sugarloaf Key. This key is about 15 miles from Key West, the end of the line. It too was spectacular, with sandy beaches, full service marina, restaurant, bar, pool, and live music several times each week. These are really resorts where you stay in your own RV. I have to admit, although RVs are packed in here, at $80-95 per night it was worth it, and we stayed for almost 2-weeks.

The Everglades

2007-01-25T13:28:00.000-08:00

I had never visited the Everglades, and since we had come this far we decided we had to make the trip. The road down to Flamingo is a dead end at the very tip of the mainland. The road seems to go on and on, although it really is only 50 miles from highway 1, which takes you to the keys.

As the elevation changes, from 2 to 3 to 4 feet above sea level, the flora and fauna change dramatically. The picture above is covered with pine trees (quite a bit smaller than our Ponderosa pines, but pines nevertheless).

A few miles down the road the elevation changes a couple of feet to 4 feet above sea level and the pine forests give way to an "African-like" meadow.There are alligators in the Everglades, but there are also the endangered American Crocodile.

The Crocodile is a bluish grey, and their fourth tooth sticks out the side of their mouth (like a fang). This is a 6 foot female sunning herself on the shore. Crocs and Gators spend most of the day lounging in the sun and hunt at night. Not a good place for children to swim at night. We took a boat ride up the canals to view the wildlife. There were Crocs to see and a wide variety of birds. Basically, there are 3 things to do here: Fish, Canoe, and go birding.

Osprey nesting on the top of a "lock"

Man has almost devastated the Everglades. I do not have a lot of knowledge about this topic, but I will share what I know. The Army Corps of Engineers has dug miles of canals throughout the glades and disrupted the natural flow of the "river". Four water management factors are critical to the wildlife here: Quality of water (pollution), Quantity and timing: too much water can flood the gator nests and wading birds cannot find food for their young, Distribution: Too little water and the smallest organisms that form the lowest part of the food chain suffer. Population growth in Florida (900 people move here every DAY!). Man uses about 20 billion gallons of fresh water per day in Florida. In 1960 that number was 7 billion, and in 1950 it was less than 1 billion. Each day this population increase consumes an additional 200,000 gallons of freshwater. Further examples of man's ignorance, and the problems associated with our prolific procreation.

St. Petersburg/Tampa to Big Cypress National Preserve

2007-01-25T12:05:00.000-08:00

We made our way south to St. Petersburg, which basically is a part of Tampa. A lot of people live here! The trip south was on a road that reminded us of old 99, and was similar to driving from Sea Tac to Everett on 99/Aurora. There was a continuous commercial district, town after town, for almost 80 miles, with many traffic lights. We spent 4 days here and when I downloaded our camera I realized we did not take a single picture.

The climate was great, and the beaches are among the best in the country. The entire metro. area is sheltered from the Gulf by a long thin stretch of beach. The southern tip of this stretch is where Fort De Soto is. This is an old fort similar to Fort Casey on Whidbey island. It has a great campground and the beach here was voted #1 in the country in 2005 by "Dr. Beach". The sand is as fine as powdered sugar (it felt like running your hand through a bag of portland cement).

We hit 2 of the "must see" tourist attractions and they were pretty lame. This is just a big city and besides the great beaches (which can be hard to gain access to due to development with the exception of Fort De Soto) it is just like many other big cities. When we left Tampa we headed towards the Everglades and on the way spent a night at Big Cypress National Preserve. We had planned to drive right to the Everglades but this area had the largest collection of alligators we had seen to date.

Not sure what this Gator is doing on the other's back, but he sure is happy!

This part of Florida is only a couple of feet above the water table. The whole area is actually a river, that flows out of Lake OKeechobee. If you open a map of Florida and find this lake (it is the largest in the state), the entire state south of the lake has blue "hash" marks on the map. I think these hash marks indicate the "river" that flows south into the Gulf and Florida Bay. It is a remarkable ecosystem with an incredible amount of diverse bird life and tons of Gators.

Each side of the road across highway 41 has ditches full of water. I suspect the road forms most of these waterways; and wherever you pull over there are Gators! We drove a dirt loop road and everywhere we stopped there was a large variety of birds, a lot of fish in every small pool, and gators!Around one bend we spotted a large flock of the notorious black vultures. They were hopping in the middle of the road acting quite territorial, and when we passed we noticed a particularly foul smell. Not wanting to miss anything, I was ordered to backup and investigate. There in the bush were the remains of a 8 foot Gator that they were feasting on.

The bird life was abundant and plentiful at every stop you made.

And, of coarse, there were Gators everywhere! We stayed in the middle of this preserve at a small campground that encircled a lake. As we set up camp the ranger ran up when he saw we had kids with us..."Please make sure your kids do not approach the pond by themselves. There are Gators in there. Just yesterday a large black lab was consumed by one of them..." Welcome to Big Cypress National Preserve.

"Way Down Upon the Suwannee River..."

2007-01-24T12:51:00.000-08:00

As we headed east and south from Indian Pass, towards the keys, we did not have any plans for a couple of days. We stopped for fuel on highway 19 and asked a ranger man for suggestions on a place to camp. He directed us back the direction we had come from, about 15 miles, and west to Manatee Springs state park. By the time we arrived it was getting dark, but we needed a little exercise and decided to walk out to the river at dusk. This was an erie trek. The trail turned into a boardwalk, six feet above the swamp. The boardwalk paralleled a fresh water spring that flowed out to the Suwannee river. There was a swimming area in the spring but next to it was a sign with the picture of an alligator warning would be swimmers of the danger. We decided that we would not be swimming tonight.
The skies were filled with birds. They were big, but we could not make out what they were. The forest was mostly cypress trees and in every one these mammoths perched. As we broke out of the wood, and crept out onto the dock at the river's edge, we looked up, down, and across the river to see thousands of these black birds. They were all looking at us, as if waiting for a hand out, or for one of us to die and provide dinner for the flock. About this time a couple of senior volunteers strode up and told us that the birds were black vultures.
The next morning we headed out to the river again to see what the scenery would be like in the day light. The black vultures were still waiting for us, but there was other wildlife as well. Turtles fornicating in the waters around the dock, thousands of different kinds of fish, darting in and out, hiding in the grasses, and leaping out of the water. About this time I spy a large school of fish, and lifted Erik up onto the railing so he can see them too. I point them out and he says..."I can't see them Dad...", "Erik, they are right over there" pointing. "Dad, I still don't see them, I just see the big one", "What big one, don't you see the huge school, right there" pointing again. "No Dad, I just see the huge one, over there" now he is pointing, and finally I see what he is talking about. A 6 foot Manatee about 20 feet off the dock, just lazily floating around, with an occasional flap of its tail and a lift of its snout to get a breath of air (I think they breath air).

So, the state song in Florida is "Old Folks at Home" and you have heard it before. This song was written in 1851 but has been shunned because it is widely viewed as racist. However, since we were on the Suwannee River, and the lyrics were published in the paper that day, I thought I would recite them here:

Way down upon de Swanee ribber, Far, far away, Dere's wha my heart is turning ebber, Dere's wha de old folks stay. All up and down de whole creation, Sadly I roam, Still longing for de old plantation, and for de old folks at home.

Chorus: All de world as sad and dreary, Ebry where I roam, Oh! darkeys how my heart grows weary, Far from de old folks at home. All round de little farm I wandered when I was young, Den many happy days I squandered, Many de songs I sung. When I was playing wid my brudder Happy was I Oh! take me to my kind old mudder, Dere let me live and die. One little hut among de bushes, One dat I love, Still sadly to my mem'ry rushes, No matter where I rove. when will I see de bees a humming all round de comb? When will I hear de banjo tumming down in my good old home?

By Stephen Foster

Back to Florida

2007-01-24T11:36:00.000-08:00

We flew to Seattle from Panama City, Florida for 3 weeks with Family over the holidays. It felt strange to not be returning to a "home". However, we had a great time with friends and family and I completed 95% of our tax work.

While waiting for our flight out of Panama City we were entertained by this 2-legged dog (I guess this little guy was recently on TV). He was incredibly talented as he could get himself up from the ground and walk better than many of the other anthropoids in the airport. Our flight was the first flight out of this small airport that day, as all other flights had been cancelled due to fog. Luck stayed with us as our flight into Sea Tac was one of the last flights before that airport was closed due to the high winds.

When we returned to the panhandle of Florida we headed to Port St. Joe, and a little park called Indian Pass. This place is 20 miles west of Apalachicola, at the end of a dead end road, on a sand spit which is protected from the gulf by an island called St Vincent. St Vincent island is a park that was sold to the state by a wealthy individual who imported exotic animals onto the island and used it as a private hunting preserve (sounds like Spieden island in the San Juans). I guess most of the animals are gone with the exception of wild boars. This island was also a favorite camping spot for the local Indians in the 1800's and many of the beaches are littered with pottery fragments.

This picture is from our camp-site, looking east up Apalachicola bay. The land on the left is the mainland, and that on the right is St. Vincent island.

My Mom spends 2-3 months in the winter time here in a little house she rents by the beach. Mommy encouraged us to come and spend a few days, fishing and enjoying this area. It was so great we stayed for a week and a half. The beaches are almost perfect. You can cast a line in from almost anywhere and catch your dinner. The shore is littered with shells that you would want to keep. The climate (at least at this time of year) has very little humidity, and the temperature averaged 70-75 degrees.

At 6:30 every morning the Oyster hunters would launch their boats and head out into the bay. The water is only 1-4 feet deep out here. The hunters had 2 rakes attached together like a pair of scissors, and they would scrape (rake) the bottom of the bay and haul up oysters. On the front of their scows they had a 4X8 piece of plywood nailed down where they would deposit their catch. Another hunter would break the oysters apart, throwing the small ones overboard. I was told that 2 hunters could amass a fortune of $200 each on a good day "raking it in".

Every day Grandma Jane would show up about 11:00, and tell us it was time to go fishing. She would have a lunch packed, and fresh shrimp for bait. We would spend a couple of hours playing until it was time to return to our school-work before dinner. Grandma would fix her incredible meals at her little house by the beach, or we would go out to eat at the local "Bars". Just up the road is the Oyster Bar; a small shack with a BBQ out front. The menu is a reader board on the wall, and drinks are in a wall cooler. You ordered what you want (1-dozen oysters for $6.00, and a pitcher of beer), and when you were ready to leave you went up to the counter and they would ask you what you had. No receipts, checks, or tickets. This place is more laid back then Lopez Island!

On our fourth day grandma shows up and says we are going fishing again. We walk down to the boat launch (100 yards from our camp-site) and a boat is waiting with our guide, Skipper William. While the fishing was not too good, both the kids did haul in breakfast.We also got a close up of a flock of migratory Snow Pelican. While there are pelicans everywhere in Florida, this white guy is pretty rare I guess.

We were sad to leave this place, and understand why Grandma Jane enjoys it so much. This is a place we would like to visit again. Thank you Grandma Jane.

Panhandle of Florida

2006-12-11T10:40:00.000-08:00

This is the view from our campsite in Navarre, Florida. The only thing that could make this better right now is 80 degrees (it has been freezing overnight with highs in the low 60's during the day). Although today is in the 70's with perfect blue sky.
Our pier (10 yards from the front door of Edna) is 150 feet long and brand new, as is the retaining wall out front. Most of the other piers within view, which is about 10, are all in various states of disrepair. While walking down the beach the other day I began to notice that homes were either brand new, or destroyed. Then I came across a tombstone dated 9/16/2004 with the name of Ivan on it, and it dawned on me that this was the area that Ivan made landfall 1 year prior to Katrina.

We traveled to an outer island (connected by bridge) and all of the homes are brand new, and for sale! All of them have been rebuilt.

This is a wonderful place to visit (after Hurricane season is over). Especially in the winter time when the grey, soggy, mossy, wet, overcast winter season in Seattle begins to grind on you. But, I would not want to live here, and would not want to own real estate here. I spoke with folks who have had 2 homes destroyed by hurricanes over the past decade. They now rent during the winter months only.

We are flying to Seattle on Thursday for the holidays.

Our best to all of you and your families.

Happy Holidays.

The Paton's

Gulf Coast

2006-12-11T09:36:00.000-08:00

If you read my entry for New Orleans, and saw the tidal wave shot from Bay St Louise, that is where this picture was taken from. Everything was destroyed! This ship (about 45 feet long) was on the side of the road, and I could not see the water from here. Highway 90 parallels the coast along Mississippi, and goes through Bay St Louis. Unfortunately, Katrina destroyed many of the bridges that were in her path (and she made landfall in Waveland, just south of Bay St. Louis and about 50 miles NE from New Orleans). Our route to Biloxi required a few detours around bays without bridges.

We traveled through Gulfport on our way to Biloxi. Both of these cities are right on the beach; which is beautiful, with perfect white sand. But, when you turn around, with your back to the water and these pristine beaches (which were all closed due to pollution), you realize that almost every structure was destroyed.

This is a Comfort Inn hotel of about 300 rooms. Completely destroyed with no visible signs of any reconstruction work.

The for sale sign out front specifies: As is, where is, make offer. There are a lot of for sale signs.

The distance between Gulfport and Biloxi is about 15 miles. The entire area looks like war pictures from Iraq. Less than 5% of the structures remain. Most of the buildings were reduced to rubble.

This area looks like total destruction. What I imagine the aftermath of a powerful hurricane, or a nuclear explosion, would look like. New Orleans was very different. While the economic destruction was huge, the visual effects do not appear as dramatic (not to down play it). In New Orleans, many structures were left standing. But they marinated in a toxic stew of petroleum, poisons, rotting flesh, and human feces for up to 2 weeks: in many cases necessitating complete demolition of the structures.

All Katrina left the people on the coast of Mississippi in many cases was rubble to clean up.

I think we have seen enough hurricane destruction. We are off to Florida.

Mexican Cruise

2006-12-11T08:51:00.000-08:00

One of my sisters told us about these last minute cruise bargains you can get a couple of days before a departure at any cruise port. New Orleans has a large cruise terminal for Carnival that sails to Mexico. We did a little surfing and found cabins for a 5 day cruise to Costa Maya and Cozumel for $159 per person. Sounded like a great deal so we were off.

Our first stop was Costa Maya, very close to the Belize border. We chose to tour some Mayan ruins which were reached via a 1 hour bus ride. These ruins were discovered by an American in the 1970's. Evidently, this guy found over 100 temples in just a few years in this area. Most of them have yet to be excavated, and these have only been open to the public for a few years. The next day found us in Cozumel. This is an island about twice the size of Lopez (24 miles long)that has been over run by American cruise ships and hotels. There were 9 cruise ships in port (about 40-50,000 people including crew).

We booked a snorkeling and glass bottom kayak tour that was great! Good coral and lots of fish to see. The cantina was so good we spent the entire day there eating and the kids got their first tattoos.

Over all Jeanne and I have decided that the large cruise ship experience is not for us. Too much cigarette smoke; we are not gamblers and that is a huge part of the ship. Also, although the food is free, everything else is not. Our bargain of around $700 became 4 times that before we disembarked back in New Orleans 5 days later. The seas were also quite rough on the return across the Gulf of Mexico and many passengers were puking left and right; adding to the experience. We now know why the cruise line is called Carnival: it was quite the circus.

Time to head eastward.

Gator Tour

2006-12-11T07:25:00.000-08:00

We felt we had to take a Gator tour through the swamps of Louisiana in an airboat while we were down here. It was great! Gators like warm weather and spend a lot of time in the colder (winter) months hiding in their burrows or dens, which are entered from under the water, via a tunnel, into the den or living area which is above the water level. They can also dig an escape route onto dry land from the den. They often spend time in the warm sunlight as in these pictures.
Our guide walked around the airboat with this little gator in his hands. We all got to hold him, and he was very tame (although we were warned to hold him so his teeth could not take a chunk out of you). Yes, this is a real Gator: about 6 months old.These swamps were once covered with Bald Cypress trees. As has been our nature over the generations, man came in and "harvested" these trees for their wood. The Bald Cypress tree is quite amazing because the wood is impervious to termites and rot. It has been said to last forever and is highly prized.Unfortunately, it also take a very long time to grow: and the loggers realized after they had logged most of these trees, that some of those taken were about 1,000 years old. Today it is a crime to cut any bald cypress. But, unfortunately, it's too late for this area since they are almost all gone.

This was the first wildlife we saw on the tour, and we were all excited to see our first gator. Then I noticed that it had fur, and assumed it was a beaver (since it was the right size for a large beaver). Our guide corrected me and told us it was a rat. It was huge, and swam as good as a beaver. Then he went on to tell us the story of this particular rat.

There are some weeds that naturally grow in these here swamps that someone wanted to get rid of. A couple of generations ago this person imported this here rat; who was said to eat these undesirable weeds. Well, as so often is the case with good deeds gone awry: the rat eats everything in the swamp, except this weed, and they breed better than rabbits, and are now the greatest nuisance in the swamp. The local government pays $4.00 per tail for this creature, and another $5.00 for the whole rat (or so our guide told us). We were then told to watch what we eat in this here part of Louisiana since the rat meat had to end up somewhere.

Our guide also told us stories of catching this rat with his friends when they were young. Some rat hunting expeditions resulted in a healthy kill of up to 15 rats. All one needs is a flashlight and a baseball bat. Quite a prosperous evening for kids in their early teens.

The Gator population has rebounded in the past decade or so, from an endangered species, to a population of around 1,500,000. This has led the way to re-opening the animal to hunting. Anyone who owns land along the swamp is issued coupons to kill gators commensurate with the amount of land owned. The gators are caught by stringing nylon rope across a bayou, with another strong piece of line hanging straight down from middle of the nylon rope, with a very strong hook on it, baited with chicken. Since a gator can launch itself out of the water the same distance as its length, the chicken is hung up off the water the same distance as the sized gator you want to catch (got that?). Since you have a limit (tied to the amount of land you own), the first few days of hunting season you hang your chickens real high to catch the big ones. As the season progresses, you may lower your chickens to increase the likelihood of a kill if you have not caught your limit.

Now, the nylon rope is attached to a tree on the shore. When the gator catches the chicken, and pulls it into the water, they start the "death roll" we have all seen on Crocodile Dundee. They actually reel themselves into the shore and up to the tree the rope is tied to, to await the hunters return (the hunters do not even wait there). When the hunters return, if the gator is too small, they just let it go. Gators stomach acid is so strong it will dissolve anything the gator eats and pass it out the rear (including the hooks). This is why people who disappear in these here parts are never found. Gators do not leave any trace of what they eat, bones included.

New Orleans

2006-11-26T12:04:00.000-08:00

These pictures were taken by a man in Magee , MS where the eye of the storm passed thru - what an experience. Magee is 150 miles North of Waveland , Mississippi where the Hurricane made land fall.

Unlike many of our stops to date, New Orleans was a planned destination. We felt the educational opportunity was too good to pass up; and we have learned a lot!

On our first day in New Orleans we booked a "Katrina Tour" with Greyline (a bus tour company). We spent 3 hours touring the areas of the city that were hit the hardest by the hurricane.

This picture was taken from the third story balcony of Saint Stanislaus College located next door to Our Lady of the Gulf church in Bay Saint Louis, Mississippi on the morning of August 29th, 2005. This is believed to be the initial tidal wave from Hurricane Katrina. The tidal wave was approximately 35 to 40 feet high. When it slammed into the beach front communities of Bay Saint Louis and Waveland Mississippi it completely destroyed 99% of every structure along the beach for 9 miles and over a quarter of a mile inland. The destruction only started there. The flooding that continued inland destroyed the contents of all but 35 homes in these two communities of approximately 14,000 people.

While these pictures are not of storm damage in New Orleans, they are of Katrina and the damage she caused, which was actually much more severe in Mississippi. We plan to head this way next week to view the actual damage.

Back to New Orleans: Here is a picture of a couple of FEMA trailers. They are everywhere! We are staying in a KOA campground of about 150 sites. 100 of these sites are taken up by FEMA trailers. I do not think the inhabitants are paying anything to stay here. Some locals have expressed the fact that many of these people have lost the incentive to find work and/or a place to live since they are being taken care of.

Only 40% of the pre-katrina population has returned to the city. Many businesses can not find employees, and many potential employees can not afford housing

since the rents have skyrocketed. A pre-katrina apartment that rented for $600 a month now rents for $1,800 a month.

This picture is of a shopping center about the size of Southcenter (That store is a "Dillards", similar to a Bon Marche). The entire shopping center has been abandoned! There is a six flags park just down the street: abandoned!

Square miles of homes, abandoned!

This is one of dozens (if not hundreds) of FEMA trailer parks. This one has about 300 trailers that have been "installed" in the parking lot of a governmental building (civic center) that has been abandoned.

They are packed in here like cord wood (but, oddly most people drive pretty nice cars: look at the Acura NSX below).

This particular area (above) is in Saint Bernard Parish; which was hit very hard by tidal surge. I would guess that 85% of the homes were destroyed here (I think this is also the infamous ninth ward). The city leaders are bulldozing homes here if the owners have not started re-building.

The only area that was not flooded is the central business district and the French Quarter. Although there was a lot of damage from winds. This office building is still riddled with broken windows (the white windows are all broken out), and it is not the only one that has yet to be repaired.

Just up the street is a 40 story hospital that looks similar (and it is also vacant). I understand that there is only 1 hospital open in New Orleans, and it just opened the other month.

So, here is a summary of some of the local attitudes: Many folks are very upset with the Army Corps of engineers who built and maintain the levees: and yes, many of these breached. The Army Corps also is responsible for dredging the Mississippi river, and they created a direct shipping route (called Mr. Go) from the Gulf to Lake Pontchartrain, effectively eliminating the bends and twists of the Miss. River and cutting off many miles for the freighters that come into the city (New Orleans is the fourth largest port in the world). This ingenious plan created a straight shot for the storm surge to travel from the gulf right up to lake Pontchartrain, just north of the city. This storm surge would naturally have been reduced to a fraction of its size had this direct route not existed (this is what wet lands can help with). In addition, growth has eliminated many of the remaining wetlands in the N.O. area. The highest waters were over 20 feet deep in a subdivision of $5,000,000 homes; built in an area 12 feet below sea level (and no, no one has returned to these homes). So, the storm surge traveled up Mr. Go, to Lake Pontchartrain, which is where the water from the areas of the city below sea level (which is all of it) is pumped. The storm surge roared down the drainage bayou's and several of the levees were breached. The water actually entered the city from the north.

OK, so there is a lot of blame to go around. Insurance companies are contesting many claims. New Orleans "Road home" loans have only been distributed to 44 homeowners to date, and, yes, the Army Corps definitely made some huge mistakes.

The lesson I have learned: Don't fool with mother nature, and don't build your house below sea level.

We hope you'all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

The Paton's

Galveston, Texas

2006-11-24T14:03:00.000-08:00

To get to Galveston you must pass through Houston, and of course I timed our passage to coincide with rush hour. They have a few tolls here and it cost us about $8.00 (through 2 toll booths) to get 25 miles south of Houston to our reserved RV spot. I think a few tolls on Washington roadways would solve the states transportation budgets.

Houston is the fourth largest metropolitan area in the country, and not a place we cared to spend a lot of time at. It is the "city that oil built" and there are a lot of refineries here (even more than in Corpus Christi). Imagine the refinery at Anacortes, multiplied by a factor of 100.

Our RV park was in a grove of 200 year old oak trees with a couple of stocked ponds and the kids had their first fishing expedition. Each kid got their "first kill" and are ready for more!

Galveston has a rich history dating back a couple of hundred years with some beautiful homes from that era. They have installed a cruise ship terminal and several tourist attractions; waterparks, and Imax theaters,etc. The types of attractions that seem to be present in most large metro areas. The beach is fairly nice, but again no one was swimming or surfing. There were few trees on the water side of the roads but a nice bike path and side walks that extended the length of the island (about 20 miles +-).

Erik has been studying rain forests, and one of the attractions is a pyramid at Moody Gardens (1 of 3), 200 feet square, that is a re-created rain forest habitat. It is very cool!
Monkeys, Sloths, Parrots, caiman, very large fish, bats, etc. most free to roam the interior of the pyramid.
Another pyramid holds several theaters showing 3-D and 4-D movies. One we saw was called "Deep Sea" and was the best production any of us had ever seen! The 3-D is unbelievable. There were jelly fish that appeared to be swimming into your face. We were all trying to grab them out of the air (water) in front of us. The technology has definitely improved since the days of the red and green lens glasses. We also saw a 4-D SpongeBob movie that improved on the dimensional effects as well. If you have the opportunity to see one of these newer 3-D movies, do it.

The following day we headed to the Johnson Space Center (NASA). This is the facility where all the space shuttle missions are managed from, and where all the astronauts are trained. The visitor centers all touted this attraction as a "must see".

This had great potential, but did not live up to expectations: it was boring. All the kids wanted to do was spend their time in a 4-story "Space play land". Yes, just a big McDonalds playland. I suppose if you were very passionate about space exploration you would enjoy the experience. We're not huge museum fans however, and the kids are not patient at this age. Steven Spielberg could have created a great experience here however.

Galveston lies 50 miles South of Houston. It is a pretty nice place to visit but there's not a heck of a lot to do. We did not go into Houston, but I understand the cultural attractions (opera houses, plays, theaters, museums) are quite good. Oil and transport are the main industries, and there are a heck of a lot of people. Real estate prices are relatively low (compared to the Pacific NW) and there is a huge quantity of waterfront. The bays are shallow and appear muddy because of this. The horizons are littered with offshore oil rigs and refineries, as well as power lines for this industry. No topography; everything is flat down here, and the sun sets in a funny location.

Tomorrow we are on to Louisiana, you'all.

Corpus Christi

2006-11-18T09:06:00.000-08:00

Corpus Christi: This town is always a place I wanted to visit. I'm not sure why, but it seemed like a city on the coast of Texas, right on the Gulf of Mexico, with an intracoastal waterway, protected by islands that were mostly National Seashores, would be a beautiful and unspoiled paradise.

Not really.

My Mom was the first person to tell me that this was not so. I was undaunted, and decided to make the trek anyway. After all, Corpus Christi was only 150 miles from San Antonio, and Mom had been wrong before... Maybe I should have listened.

As you first get a glimpse of Corpus your thoughts turn to the Wizard of Oz, and the Emerald City. But, the closer you get those fond memories fade as you realize that these spires are on fire as they burn off the excess fumes from the refineries that they really are. And, you realize you are not in Kansas anymore.

This city was built from Oil money, and there are more refineries on the horizon than anywhere I have been before. Refineries consume a lot of energy, so they are accompanied by many power lines and huge electrical grids. Since the refineries (probably) came before most of the infrastructure, everything else appears to have grown up around them; and it's not as attractive as it might be.

We spent a day and drove out to the Gulf, and Padre Island. Here the sand goes on forever! The beach is very much like Ocean Shores: no trees and a small hill of dunes just inland. But, the Texans do not take care of their beaches very well and they are littered with garbage, plastic, and glass. Many people warned us not to walk on the beaches without shoes. This kind of spoiled the beach for us. Also, it is very shallow in this part of the gulf so the water "appears" murky (although I think it is just the brown sand below a few feet of water). Nevertheless, no one was swimming.

Real estate here is cheap! You can buy a 3 bedroom, 2-bath home, on the water with a dock for your boat, for $250,000. After much head scratching, we determined that it is so cheap because there are not enough people who want to live here (although I think Corpus has a population of about 300-400,000 people). Simple economics. New homes that were quite nice (wood floors, granite counters, 2-car garages, stucco, etc.) were selling for under $100 per foot. Perhaps it is the humidity which makes it quite uncomfortable; and the fact that this area is subject to hurricanes?

Before we left Corpus we toured the USS Lexington:

She was a WWII era Aircraft carrier converted into a floating museum. The entire tour was self guided and you had the ability to see most of the ship on your own. Of coarse the kids figured this out very quickly and we adults spent most of the time hunting them down. But it was pretty cool!

From here we are headed towards Houston and specifically, the Galveston area.

Unfortunately, I do not think Corpus is worthy of another visit in my lifetime.

We hope all of you are doing well. Please drop us a note at jamescpaton@gmail.com

The Paton's

Arizona to Texas

2006-11-11T08:24:00.000-08:00

We left Bisbee, AZ the following morning and headed towards El Paso, TX.

Our route took us to within spitting distance of Mexico, through a town called Douglas, which has a border crossing. From Douglas, the road turns NNE up towards New Mexico. At this point things turned weird. For the next 60 miles Border Patrol vehicles outnumbered cars 2 to 1. They would be parked along side the road (sometimes 2 of them) not really doing anything we could tell; but all the occupants eyed us suspiciously as we barreled down the road at 50 MPH.

I began to notice large "things" walking across the road; about the size of a fifty-cent piece. My imagination began to run away with me as I became certain they were tarantulas. I began to slow down (to a crawl) and then realized they were huge grasshoppers or locust's up to 6 inches long! When the kids became excited we slowed to a stop to get a closer look; and off on the shoulder there was a dead snake that was PINK!

Keeping my eyes on the rearview mirrors to ensure we were not rear-ended by a Mexican trucker, I noticed a white truck approaching from the south and began to accelerate to near legal speeds. After a while I noticed that this white truck came right up to our bumper, but did not pass; which was odd, since everyone passes us. Then I realized this white truck was exactly like all the other Border Patrol vehicles we had passed; and began to brace myself to be pulled over and searched for illegals.

Well, after 10 miles or so the Border agent pulled a U-turn and let us be. We were certain he had called in our license plate and determined we were just harmless tourists.

Another 30 miles up the road Mom exclaimed that it was time to pull over due to an overfilled bladder, and we noticed that the front of the trailer and the truck were completely covered with Locust road-kill. The front of both vehicles were plastered with a poop colored thick gelatinous ooze that looked like it would require sandblasting to come off. There were grasshopper body parts intertwined with the radiator, headlights, and bumper (some still squirming).

As we entered Texas the first stop was a visitors center well stocked with brochures of touristy things to do in the Lone Star state. Since our first stop was El Paso (and none of us had been there before) we searched for "things to see" here first. We found very little, and hit the road in search of a park to spend the night.

We entered the Central Business District of El Paso just in time for the evening rush hour (I seem to time this event more often than not). We found nothing of interest as we traveled through the congestion towards our destination RV park.

The following morning we studied the visitors brochures only to discover that the most highly touted excursion in El Paso was a trip across the border to Ciudad Juarez to haggle with the Mexican shop keepers. We decided to move on.

The distance from El Paso to San Antonio is too far to comfortably drive in 1 day, so it became a 2-day jaunt. I have no pictures to share since there was nothing illuminating enough to stop and get out the camera for. Although, we did entertain ourselves with identifying and counting the various species of road-kill. In 300 miles of highway we counted 12 deer, 3 Javelina's (a small pig-like hog about the size of a medium dog), porcupines, rabbits, squirrels, raccoons, skunks, and the occasional Kitty cat. The speed limit here is 80 MPH and some of the deer were completely decapitated from the impact(s). My apologies to those of you with weak stomachs, however, this was the topic of conversation during this stretch of the highway.

San Antonio, Texas: This is a neat city! Jeanne and I had visited here about 5 years ago and had a great time. Our first evening we toured the Riverwalk district; which is downtown San Antonio where they detoured the San Antonio river through town and created an absolutely beautiful district. There is a wonderful walkway on each side of the river lined with restaurants, nightclubs, and retail. I think of the Seattle waterfront and wonder if we could do something similar there.

McLeod developed a case of shingles a couple of weeks ago. No one really thought too much about it since it was a relatively minor case with only mild itching. However, 10 days later, Erik began to break out in red bumps; very similar to Chicken Pox. This did not make sense because he has had the newest vaccination. Research revealed that this vaccination is far from 100% effective, and the virus that causes shingles is the same virus as Chicken Pox. The boy was quarantined to Edna for the next 5-days as he scratched, whined, and moaned.

Finally, the poor boy was deemed non-contagious by the Mom and we celebrated with a coming out party. Our celebration began at the world renowned Buckhorn Saloon and Museum. http://www.buckhornmuseum.com/

The Buckhorn Saloon & Museum has been in continuous operation since 1881. The history of this world famous establishment is an important part of the story of San Antonio.

1881 - Albert Friedrich opens his own business, Albert's Buckhorn Saloon, on Dolorosa Street. The Buckhorn opens with a standing offer to all patrons - "Bring in your deer antlers and you can trade them for a shot of whiskey or a beer." Albert's father, Wenzel Friedrich, provides handmade horn furniture for the saloon - the world's most unique collection of horns and antlers begins.
1880's - The Buckhorn Saloon collection of horns and trophy mounts grows as cowboys and hunters bring in animals of all kinds.
1891 - Albert marries Emilie Derr. Emilie expands Albert's offer to include rattlesnake rattlers and the tradition continues as thousands of rattlesnake rattlers are brought in as barter. Emilie fashions signs and artwork from the rattlers for display in the saloon.

(This is a diamondback Rattler about 8-9 feet long!)

1896 - The saloon prospers and moves to even larger quarters at Houston and Soledad Streets.
1898 - Teddy Roosevelt frequents the saloon and recruits Roughriders at the bar. Will Rogers visits the saloon as a cowboy and returns often, as does O. Henry.
1899 - The world's record whitetail "78 Point Buck" is acquired for $100 and put on display at the Buckhorn.
1914 - With the outbreak of World War I, many recruits visit San Antonio for training and take the story of the Buckhorn with them all over the world.
1920 - Prohibition becomes law and the Buckhorn Saloon becomes the Buckhorn Curio Museum.
1921 - The Buckhorn's primary competitor, Billy Keilman's Horn Palace, closes and Friedrich acquires the collection of the Horn Palace including "Old Tex", a world record longhorn steer. The Buckhorn becomes the undisputed largest display of horns and antlers.
1922 - The Buckhorn moves to a larger space at the southwest corner of Houston Street and South Flores Street. Friedrich acquires a full size gorilla, which he places in the front window for all to see. The gorilla is known as "The Guard" of the Buckhorn and the front window becomes a favorite meeting place in downtown San Antonio.
1932 - Prohibition is repealed and the Buckhorn Saloon is back in business. Many vaudeville entertainers frequent the Buckhorn since the State Theater rear entrance is across Flores Street.
1941 - World War II breaks out and once again San Antonio becomes the training ground for many soldiers, most of whom visit the Buckhorn and spread the story.
1956 - Lone Star Brewing Company purchases the world-famous Buckhorn Collection and opens the Lone Star Buckhorn Hall of Horns.
1964 - The Hall of Fins is added to the Lone Star Buckhorn Hall of Horns.
1968 - The World's Fair, Hemisfair, is held in San Antonio. At the close of the fair, Lone Star relocates the Hall of Texas History Wax Museum to the grounds of the Buckhorn Hall of Horns.
1973 - Hall of Feathers, exhibits of birds from all over the world, added to the Hall of Horns and Hall of Fins collections. Annual attendance reaches 400,000 as Lone Star's popularity reaches new highs.
1998 - The Lone Star Brewery in San Antonio closes and the new owner, Stroh's Beer, moves brewing of Lone Star to the Stroh's Brewery in Longview, Texas. In order to keep The Buckhorn collection in San Antonio, the granddaughter of Albert Friedrich, Mary Friedrich Rogers and her husband, Wallace Rogers, acquire the collection. On December 22, 1998, the new Buckhorn Saloon & Museum opens on Houston Street - a few blocks from the original 1881 location.

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Erik's Coming out Party: con't.:

From the world famous Buckhorn we make our way back down to the Riverwalk district and stop for crab cakes and a drink. Stroll the river some more, stop again for a pizza, pasta, and another drink, then onto a movie, and back to Edna.

The following day we hit the road for the Gulf and Corpus Christi.

We hope that all of you are healthy and happy. Please drop us an e-mail when you have time: jamescpaton@gmail.com

Sedona, Phoenix, and Tucson

2006-11-05T05:15:00.000-08:00

It has been almost 2-weeks since I have made a posting, and it seems like it has been 2-months.
Once we left Zion National Park our plans were to visit the Grand Canyon. I have always wanted to raft the canyon and we were prepared to spend a few days in the bottom of the canyon on a raft trip. When I began to research these trips I learned that not only do you have to make reservations several months (sometimes 6-10) in advance, but Erik is too young at 8 years old. Plan B was to take a mule ride to the bottom of the canyon. Again we were foiled because the minimum age is 12 years old to do this activity. We decided to bypass the canyon and plan a separate trip in a couple of years (when Erik is older) and do it right, rafting the canyon for 2-4 days and mule riding.

We moved on to Sedona, Arizona. This is a tourist trap of a town that sits between several beautiful canyons of red rock. There are more galleries in Sedona than Ketchum, Idaho (and we are not interested in spending $30,000 on a bronze statue of an Indian with a deer head: which by the way was very cool). 4 hours of street walking and browsing curio junk shops was enough for us. We stayed at a great park on the river but were only able to get 1-nights stay due to earlier reservations by others. I would come back here for 2-3 days and hike the surrounding hills. http://www.visitsedona.com/

On to Phoenix:

Our bike rack, with 4 bikes, has been mounted to the rear bumper of the fifth wheel. This is not a very good mounting system since each bump in the road translates into a lot of movement in the rear of the trailer (sort of a sea-saw). I began to notice, several thousand miles ago, that the rear bumper end caps kept loosening up, and one of the bike handles was occasionally hitting the rear of the trailer. This did not make sense since the bike handle was 10 to 12 inches from the rear of the trailer. In order for this to really be happening the bike would have to move twice this distance; swaying almost 2 feet. Finally, I was convinced that this was really happening, and the rear bumper was "corkscrewing" causing the end caps to loosen up, and it was just a matter of time before the bikes tore the bumper off the trailer and abandoned us somewhere on an interstate. We did some research on alternatives and visited a few bike shops before finding a new rack that mounts on the rear ladder. I ordered one to be delivered to a bike shop in Page, AZ; thinking that we would pick it up after our trip to Zion (5-days shipping promised; 7-day trip. Sounds OK). After 7-days, no bike rack. Repeated e-mails and phone calls with no reply we figured we had been screwed and continued on our trip.

We began to enter Phoenix and noticed a halo of smog over the valley, and a lot of traffic. Almost everything is new! New houses in huge developments and a lot of new retail strip malls. This city is on fire! The growth is astronomical. We settled into a park on the northern outskirts and received a call from the bike rack guy. He claimed he shipped it to the wrong address and it was returned; and he promised to send it overnight to his brother-in-law who lives in Scottsdale. OK, we should have it in 1-2 days and can then get out of this huge city.

Unfortunately, we do not have much to share about Phoenix. The bike rack took another 5-6 days to arrive. We tried to look up an old high school buddy to no avail (anyone know where Michael Henning and Linda Vandsant are?), and played a little tourist stuff; met up with my sister Jody-Butt for dinner (she was here on business), and then got out of town as soon as we could.

Tucson, AZ: A little smaller town at about 900,000 people (vs. 2,000,000 for Phoenix).
Our direction is towards the gulf of Mexico. We do not really have any plans between here and there and Tucson was on the way. Just outside of town there is an old movie set called "Old Tucson". This is really just a tourist trap and re-creation of an 1800's western town but it seemed like a good field trip for the kids. They have filmed about a hundred movies here including several TV shows (Think about: Gunsmoke, Bonanza episodes, little house on the prairie, etc.) Not worthy of a stop.

Up the road is the Saguaro National Park, in the heart of the Sonoran Desert. The famous Saguaro cactus only grows in the Sonoran Desert (although not everywhere in this desert). They range from the SW third of AZ south into Mexico, on the Eastern side of the sea of Cortez about half the distance the length (south) of the Baha peninsula. I know so much about the Saguaro because the kids earned their eighth Junior Ranger badge here (we spent over 2-hours at the visitor center and were evicted at closing time). The Saguaro is very slow growing (it only grows about 1 to 1.5 inches in the first eight years of its life). Branches do not appear until it reaches 50 to 70 years old, and they live to be up to 200 years old.

In late April through early June, the tops of the saguaro's trunk and arms sprout a profusion of large, creamy white flowers. Individual flowers open at night and close the following afternoon. To develop into fruits, they must be pollinated within this time frame. Pollination is carried out by nectar feeding bats, birds and insects. Each fruit contains about 2,000 tiny black seeds. When these fruits and seeds are eaten by a coyote or cactus wren, the seeds pass through their digestive system and are distributed throughout the desert. A saguaro can produce 40 million seeds during its lifetime.

For Halloween we visited the Tucson Zoo where they had a small celebration (Sunday eve). The kids dressed up and got their candy fix and we all waited in lines for about 2 hours as it rained lightly Tucson style.

The Official Visitors Guide in Tucson named several "Must see" places: including the town of Tombstone (made famous by Doc Holiday, Wyatt Earp and his brother, and the movie with Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer). This place is a joke! There are about 5 dozen junk shops all with the same crap. Their claim to fame is 4 staged shoot outs each day. This town is not on the way to anything else you would want to see and not worth the trip unless you really enjoy cheap crappy souvenir shops.

Kartchner Caves: Randy Tufts and Gary Tenen, two cave enthusiasts, first discovered a small opening in a sinkhole that led to the main cave in 1974. Worrying about potential vandalism, they spent the next two years exploring the cave in secret, even keeping the secret from family and friends. It wasn't until February 1978 that Tufts and Tenen told the property owners James and Lois Kartchner about the cave (after they tried to buy the property from them), and later led them and their five sons down to see it for themselves.

In 1988, fourteen years after Tufts and Tenen's discovery, Arizona State Parks purchased the site where the cave still lay hidden beneath a hill, and named it Kartchner Caverns State Park. Since then, Arizona State Parks has conducted many studies of the cave, focusing on protecting its environmental integrity. It has also developed the cave, making it accessible for visitors through a wide, winding path network accessible only through a series of conservation chambers that maintain cave conditions. Visitors may see the cave only through the parks reservation system.

This place is incredible! There are 2 separate tours of different caverns: one of which is only open 6 months out of the year due to Bats that hibernate, and raise their young in this cavern (Closed April through early October). We were lucky to be here at the right time of the year and were able to visit both caverns.

The caverns have only been open to publicblic for a few years and they have done an incredible job of developing the park towards conservation of these caverns. If you have the opportunity, this is a place to see: about 1 hour east of Tucson. The kids also earned their ninth Junior Ranger badge here.

The following day we headed out of Tucson to a town called Bisbee. This was another "Must see" stop in the Tucson Visitors Guide. This town is south of the infamous town of Tombstone; very near the Mexican border. We spent the night (Halloween) partly due to the fact that the towns web site claimed famous celebrations in its downtown core. The town was dead! Evidently Halloween celebrations ceased several years ago and no one thought to update the official town web site. The kids were disappointed. Kind of a cute town, with shanties built on several hillsides, that looked like old refurbished miners cabins (definitely would not meet codes in Washington). As we walked through town in the late afternoon it felt like a Twilight Zone episode. There were tons of cars and structures, but hardly any people. Then at about 7:00 PM humans in costumes began to emerge: mostly young adults or older kids, and we learned that Halloweenween celebrations this day are carried out in the local bars (all 3 of them).

The next morning we donned miners gear and headed into the Queen City Mine to explore old tunnels.

Copper mining in the late 1800's put the town of Bisbee on the map. The Queen mine has over 144 miles of tunnels. The Copper Queen's lode was mined for nearly a century, from 1877 to 1975. During that time, the mine produced more than eight billion pounds of copper. In addition, substantial quantities of gold, silver, lead, and zinc were extracted from the ore, making the Queen one of the richest mines in Arizona.

Our guide, Juan, spent most of his career working in Bisbee mines. As we rode the train into the cool mine the temperature is a constant 47° Fahrenheit. Juan, regaled us with personal anecdotes from his colorful past. At one stop, he instructed us to train our lights on a wall rigged with more than a dozen sticks of dynamite as he explained how miners used fuses of different lengths to create sequential explosions. "Then we would light them, and go and stand behind another wall," he said, summing up the extent of their safety precautions. As he continued to describe a day in the life of a Bisbee miner, it became clear that blasting was by no means the only perilous task. Challenges from cave-ins to bad air quality meant that miners risked their lives on a daily basis.After viewing ore samples, drills, elevator cages, ore cars, and even a toilet car, we re-emerged from the tunnel aboard the train and rode back to the visitors' center.

Tomorrow on to Texas!

Thoughts from Jeanne

2006-10-17T20:42:00.000-07:00

The following is a copy of an e-mail from Jeanne to her folks I wanted to share:

Hi Folks!
Hope all is well! I trust you have been fishing and camping.
We would like to hear about your trip(s). There is nothing like a good fishing story!

Well, as for the Paton's, our experiences have been quite the story. Jim as kept up our blog beautifully, which tells all the rich details of our last 5 weeks.

However, I have found the little things to be just as rich and rewarding. After some adjustment and transition into our shoe, verses the old shoe store, things have settled into a routine. It is this routine I write to you two about.

AM: "Mom I'm hungry!" (Any guesses who?)
"McLeod honey, time to get up." 10 minutes later. "Mcleody
Pie time to get out of bed!"

"MOOOOM I'M HUNGRY!"
"McLeod time to get up, now!" "Jim go get that girl out of bed!"
Ok so now everyone is up and fed and our school day begins. Which may be assignments and lessons from the books or an amazing field trip outlined in our blog.
I am finding that I am really enjoying teaching Erik 3rd grade. It is as if I never went through the 3rd grade or the 4th. Really.
Oh we have grumbles and frustrations, but watching the light bulb go on over and over again is magic. Erik's favorite subjects are math and cursive handwriting. He's really quite good at them both.

But it's the subjects he just wants to get through, he shines in, he just doesn't know it yet. Those are the language courses. Grammar, spelling, and literature. He really understands nouns, verbs, even dangling participles. I feel as if I'm learning all this grammar stuff for the first time, (which I think I'm am). So maybe learning them together is making me a good teacher? Anyways it's a good thing.

On another note; toilet paper, Kleenex, and almond shower soap seem to disappear at lightening speeds. It's interesting when you only have one bathroom, stuff just goes. Even the bath hand towel seems wet and in needing of changing all the time. Not to mention the 4 bath towels always hanging around to dry, (the rule is "use your towel twice".) It is all part of the routine we're adjusting to, and adjusting quite well.

"Ok everyone get ready to slide!" That is another routine that is as comfortable as brushing ones teeth. "Get your school books and lessons ready for Ernal kids, we're road schooling today!" Stopping plenty for recesses along the way. "Honey we need diesel, our range is 37 miles. Every one keep your eyes peeled for a fuel station that has diesel!" "There's one dad, oh... no, it doesn't have the green handle." "That's ok we're going down hill for awhile we can coast. But keep your eyes peeled everyone." With a bead of sweat trickling down the now pale, smiling face of our faithful driver. As I've said, all part of the routine.

I can not tell you sufficiently with words what an experience this trip as become. We still miss Washington with all its family and friends, but we know we'll be home before we know it. See you all in December for the holidays!

Love Jeanne

Zion National Park

2006-10-17T12:22:00.000-07:00

When traveling from point A to point B I usually plot the most direct and scenic route. This is what I did in planning our drive from Bryce to Zion. The distance was only 150 miles and looked to be a very easy day, so we did not worry about getting an early start. Sometimes the best laid plans are waylaid. In less than half of the planned distance traveled, we turned west following the road signs to Zion. Another 10 miles up the road a sign with blinking yellow warning lights instructed all "over-sized" vehicles to report into the Ranger station for an escort. Further down the road, signs indicated that vehicles over 13 feet 1 inch are not allowed to travel into Zion National Park via this direction due to a low tunnel (Edna is about 13 feet high: too close for my comfort): so we turned around. This is not the only place on our travels where we have encountered such signs after driving miles up a given road. This has caused much debate between Paton family members, and we still have not been able to conclude why someone would do such a thing. They obviously know there are height or width restrictions, since they posted the signs. So, why did they not post the signs before you turned off the last road that you must detour back to in order to continue on your journey with your oversized vehicle? I'm still confused!

The majesty of these mountains are very difficult to capture in photographs. Our first day in Zion we hiked 3 trails for a total of about 6 miles before heading to the "Narrows". The Narrows are the most famous hike in Zion where you hike up the middle of a river that travels through narrow "slot" canyons with walls up to 1500 feet high.

While heading up the trail to the river we encountered many people, who had already hiked the river, wearing dry pants and special river shoes. Upon inquiring, we came to the conclusion that we were ill prepared for this hike (also, Erik was showing signs of weariness), so we decided to make better preparations and do the hike the following day.

The best laid plans...And the heavens opened up, and it rained cats and dogs...
It's imperative that you plan this hike. The river travels through narrow slot canyons and rain creates flash floods; sometimes increasing the river depth by over 6 feet. People have died here!
To put this into perspective, last nights heavy rainfall resulted in the river flow increasing from 50 CFS (cubic feet per second) to 240 CFS: rendering the river almost impassable (certainly for people of only 4 feet in height; like Erik and Jeanne). We suspended our hike and hit the books.

The river was still swollen 2 days following the deluge (and so muddy you could not see the rocks you would be stepping on or around). I was experiencing Edna fever, and wanted to hike some of the "strenuous" trails which other family members were not excited about: so off I ventured to conquer Angels Landing.
This hike is only 5 miles RT but it gains over 1500 feet in elevation. As such it is classified as "Strenuous" and stair stepper difficult. It was definitely a good cardiovascular work out. The cautions indicate: "If you are extremely afraid of heights, you may want to think carefully before proceeding..." These pictures (above) are taken from the top of the mountains. The edge behind me is a 1500 foot sheer cliff: certain death! In order to get up to this point there are places where the ridge is only 3 feet wide; with 1500 foot drop-offs on each side. Chains have been installed to aid your ascent. Without these handholds there would most certainly be more fatalities. Definitely not for the weak of heart. More than half of the people on this hike turned around before reaching this point. It was great; but I'm glad I did not bring the kids on this one.

The following day the river had receded enough for us to hike the Narrows. We headed to the local rental company (Zion Adventure Co.) http://www.zionadventures.com/ to rent our dry pants, dry suits for the kids, river shoes with booties, and walking sticks.

The famous and most beautiful section of this hike is 3 to 3.5 miles upstream. You are in the river 65% of the time. The water temperature this time of year is 50 degrees, and the depth ranges from calf high to my waist.

I knew we were in trouble shortly after we began when Erik started complaining about the circulation in his hands. Dry suits have tight rubber seals at each extremity to keep the water out. I was envisioning a failed attempt! Encouraging my little buddy, telling him to buck up, it will all be worth it, I promise, we trudged onward upstream.

Shortly thereafter McLeod (who was looking forward to this hike very much) exclaimed..."Dad, I thought this would be a lot cooler than it is..." Erik's next words out of his mouth are: "Dad, I'm not having any fun AT ALL!" Now I'm thinking mutiny.More encouraging words from Dad, a little pleading, some gentle blackmail...on we trudge upstream.

The canyon has started to change. The walls begin to narrow to about 30 feet and it's 1500 feet to the top. I've seen pictures of this place, but as it is often said "pictures do not do it justice".

Once again, I forget how important blood sugar is to my kids. We stop for a bite to eat and some water. Erik has renewed energy; and I am very proud of both of my kids; they are not complaining although it is obvious both of them would rather be somewhere else right now.

I look around and Erik is gone. "McLeod, where is your brother?" I yell. "He headed off upstream..." Off I stumble at a neck breaking pace (equivalent to a baby walk) looking for the little @#&*

Around 2 corners I finally get a glimpse of a small yellow shape heading upstream and yell "Erik!". He finally sees my frantic waving and waits the 10 minutes for me to catch up. This is the section of the Narrows that is called "Wall Street" it is the most spectacular section and truly picturesque. After another one half mile we decide it's time to head back. The kids are excited and McLeod lunges into the water and begins to float downstream. Shortly thereafter Erik joins her and both of them are floating down the Virgin river. Other hikers we meet along the way break into fits of laughter as they see these inflated yellow shapes pass them by.

The trip downstream takes far less time then the trudge up, and now the kids are having a ball. As we reach our starting point both kids say they don't want it to stop. McLeod tells me that "I would not trade this experience for anything, it is the funnest time I have ever had." Erik says "This is the best time ever!"

Well I'll be!

If you go, plan on 5+ days depending on how much of a hiker you are. There are several overnight hikes that I would love to take in this park. This is definitely not a place for couch potatoes (although most visitors rarely leave the paved roads or partake in a hike exceeding 1 mile). If I were planning a trip here I would contact a back country tour company and book an overnight trip of the narrows.

The Paton's

Bryce Canyon by Horseback

2006-10-17T11:39:00.000-07:00

Yee-Hah! What a great way to see part of this canyon. As you can see Erik is getting a little more comfortable on horseback. This tour was a 2-hour ride into the bottom of the canyon. I was surprised how much more you see while on the back of a steed. It's important to watch your footsteps as you hike through this canyon to avoid twisting your ankle: not an issue while on the back of a horse however. Also, the extra four feet in height really allows a much better view.

The past 2 days we have been interred in Edna doing school work. It has rained most of the time so this has become our wet activity.
The geology in this park is amazing! While we are between 8,000 and 9,000 feet elevation in this park, all of it was underwater some millions of years ago. There is evidence of sea life in the fossils from this area. The rock formations (called Hodo's) are created by fractures at right angles, coupled with erosion. The fractures look very much like a checkerboard if viewed from the air. Most of the rock is made up of sandstone, very porous and easily subject to erosion. There are over 200 nights a year where temperatures are below freezing (including every night we have been here). The sub-freezing temps coupled with the relatively weak sandstone, contribute to the unique geology and create the Hodo's. This is unlike anywhere I have seen before. It is truly amazing and an area I will visit again. The only way to see the park (and do it justice) is to get your rear out of the car, and hike to the floor of the canyon. Plan on a minimum of 4 days; hiking 8-10 miles per day. We also highly recommend a horseback trip. They range from 2-hours to a full day. If you have not broken in your buttocks on a horse, a 4-hour ride will be maximum for you. We are currently increasing the kids endurance on the hiking trails, trying to build them up to as much as 10 miles a day.

Tomorrow we are off to Zion.

Our best to all of you. We would love to hear from those if you keeping up on our travels. Please reply directly to my e-mail address: jamescpaton@gmail.com I do not think I am receiving comments posted to the blog.

The Paton's

Lake Powell to Bryce Canyon

2006-10-09T16:51:00.000-07:00

Lake Powell

At this time we had spent the better part of 3-weeks on the Colorado Plateau. This area covers a huge amount of real estate over 4-states and is rich in history and native American culture. As such, you spend a lot of time on Indian Reservations. Very little cell service or internet access. It's odd, you can travel all over this country and once you enter a reservation you notice the same things: lousy roads, a lot of litter (strange for a people who pride themselves on great respect for mother nature), an uncanny desire to collect old cars, a lot of new cars being driven, relatively small homes in all states of disrepair. Now I do not mean to sound racist; this is just one mans observation.

Lake Powell is a reservoir created by Glen Canyon Dam. Half of the land flooded is on the Navajo reservation. There is some animosity between the local "non-native" folk and the Navajo. There is also a lot of discord between the different Indian peoples we have met and spoken to over the past 3 weeks (Hopi, Navajo, Peublo, Anasazi, Ute,Unitah and Ouray) although we did not meet any of these folks who really knew much about the others (or have anything good to say about each other).

Lake Powell is beautiful! The marina (you can see in the picture above) is full of houseboats. Not little ones: 45-75 foot long ones. Renting for up to $10,000 per week! The lake is about 180 miles long with incredible canyons to explore. This is a place we would like to come back to and perhaps rent one of these behemoths (with a lot of people to help defray the cost).

We ended up here on our way back north to Bryce canyon. On the second night we experienced thunder and lightning like I have never seen. Rainfall of over 2 inches (very unusual for this part of the country). Someone said there was a tornado 50 miles to the south and we were hit by 95 MPH winds: quite an experience in a travel trailer (yes we were parked. The guy next to us in a smaller rig said his RV moved 6 inches). Well, we are not in a hurry, and the weather is lousy in Bryce, so we hung out for 3 days getting caught up with school work.

Bryce Canyon

Uncle Grant and his family told us that this place was great. They were right! You could miss the magic of this park completely if you only drove the roads and viewed the overlooks. Yesterday we hiked 3 trails for a total of about 6 miles. One was a rim top trail which was OK; but the other 2 took us down into the bottom of the canyon (lots of switchbacks and sweat), and was a different perspective altogether.
I guess Patrick knew what he was talking about. You are a tourist on the top of the canyon, and a visitor when down below. The hike was moderately strenuous, but definitely worth every bead of sweat.

This picture is taken down the Queens Garden trail. You can make this a loop by adding a section of the Navajo trail to it and hiking back on the rim top trail. Only about 3 miles. I wish it had been longer!

It has turned to rain, with evening temps below freezing (well, it is October at 8,000 feet elevation). Time to get caught up on our schoolwork again. I'm not ready to leave this park, and the roads into Zion are blocked due to landslides for a couple of days. It is nice to not be on a schedule.

Our best to all of you.

The Paton's

4-Corners and Canyon de chelly

2006-10-09T11:52:00.000-07:00

4-Corners

I do not recall who told me to make sure we do not miss 4-corners. This is the only place in North America where 4 states meet at a single point. It is possible to be in all 4 states at once. So we decided to play twister and all 4 of us are in these 4 states at the sames time (Colorado, Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico). You have to travel through the Navajo Nation to get here, and they charge $3.00 per person to drive down a dirt road and place each limb in these 4 states. The roads are lousy, it is a long way to go, and besides the local vendors, there's nothing to see. I think I would bypass this spectacle unless you like to buy Indian jewelry, t-shirts, knick knacks, etc. Behind the photographer there are over 100 vendor stands (looks like a fourth of July fireworks extravaganza on one of our reservations up north). This I could pass. But, Jeanne and McLeod spent plenty lining the pockets of the locals.

Canyon de-Chelly

Located in the Navajo Nation in Arizona, Canyon de-Chelly is managed by the Federal Government and has status as a National Monument. As such many Navajo's live within the borders of the monument. You can drive up the paved roads and view overlooks; but to enter the canyons you must hire a local Navajo guide. We had heard great stories about this place so we hired a Navajo horseman and rented 4 of his steeds for a tour down into the canyon.

The first requirement was for me to drive up to the visitors center with our Navajo guide, Patrick, to get a permit. Once we filled out the paperwork the Rangers came a looking for Patrick, and escorted him back into the center. I waited out in the truck wondering if he would show up: which he did in about 10 minutes, obviously upset. Not wanting to get scalped I waited for him to break the silence. As he muttered..."gets worse every year..." "...last year they confiscated all our horses and shut us down for 3 months...think I been drinking...made me take a breathalizer.." About this time I took my chances and asked him if he passed. "Yep, blew a 0.0...". Back at the ranch, where the hands were saddling up the horses, I began to wonder just what we had gotten ourselves into. Jeanne's horse had a huge canker sore on the outside of its mouth that was oozing green liquid and smelled something fierce. She pointed this out to Patrick, who feigned surprise and began saddling up an alternate steed. Off we went into the dry riverbed.

I mentioned earlier that I would share the story of the Navajo and the Anasazi. According to Patrick, our drunk horse abusing guide, the Anasazi were punished by their gods for partaking in too much hallucinogenics. They enjoyed these herbs (or whatever) very much and just started getting screwed up rather than doing their work. The gods displeasure came in several stages:

In the first stage the gods withheld the rain for a long time, creating drought and making life very difficult for the Anasazi.
Many survived this drought and continued their ways. They also turned to incest which further displeased the gods. The gods then released huge quantities of water, sweeping many of the people down river to their deaths.
Those that survived turned to cannibalism which further displeased the gods. Patrick does not know what the gods did next but the people of the Anasazi disappeared without a trace. Even leaving their animals and valuables. They just up and disappeared!

Well, this was a great story. Told with many facial expressions and much fortitude. Passed down by this gransdfather, this is what Patrick believes happened to the Anasazi; a very wicked people, and called "the ancient enemies" by the Navajo.

These petroglyphs depict the Anasazi symbols for water (the frog in the upper center and the squiggly line on the left), and Kokopelli on his back. Kokopelli stands for many different things depending on who you talk to. Most believe he is a merry maker who travels the earth. Also a kind of "Johnny Appleseed" planting seeds along his way. Basically, a pretty good guy that you would love to have over for a beer. The hand prints are believed to be signatures. These date to 1100-1200 A.D.

These petroglyphs date to about 1300 A.D. and are from the Hopi. The symbol in the upper left (which looks like a basketball with 3 lines above it to me) is the symbol for a bear claw; classic Hopi. Other symbols represent snakes, which were traditional in Hopi ceremonies. These petroglyphs were right around the corner on a rock face from the Anasazi's above (yet 100 - 200 years later).

These petroglyphs were only a few feet from those above, and were made by the Navajo in about 1580 (notice the horses, brought over by the Spaniards in the 1500's). These depict the capture of a Mule deer by these 2 hunters. They hold their arms up to show that they do not have any weapons, and according to Patrick, this deer was killed humanely by being run up a box canyon and suffocated by dumping something (which I do not remember) over its head that would clog its nose. This was done because the hide was to be used in a healing ceremony and any blood (caused by a spear, bullet, etc) would render the hide useless for this purpose.

We felt honored to be told this great story by Patrick. It made the trip up the canyon (3-hours on horseback) worth the saddle sore.

If you decide to go to Canyon de Chelly make sure you travel into the bottom of the canyon by horseback. As Patrick told us "...if you view the canyon from the top, you are a tourist. If you view it from the bottom, you are a visitor...". The cliff dweller ruins are not nearly as spectacular as those in Mesa Verde. However, the ability to ride the canyon floor via horse (or 4 WD) is great!

2006-10-07T17:25:00.000-07:00

Mesa Verde, CO

Our plan was to continue on to Bryce and Zion from Arches. However, the weather was turning and rain with temperatures dipping into the twenties scared us off to the south. We looked at the map and I saw Mesa Verde in Colorado. Hell, we don't have a schedule; and we are not supposed to have an itinerary either. This by the way is very difficult to achieve. As you travel it is natural to plan your next stop, and you get forced into a mode that naturally takes you to that stop. Well, we broke that mode and ended up at Mesa Verde. What a place! This has go to be one place you must visit! We have all seen pictures of this ruin (above). This is Cliff Palace, inhabited by the Anasazi Indians. The pueblos and Hopi are descendants. But, they will take great offense to the name Anasazi. This name was given to these people by the Navajo and translates to "Ancient enemy".

The Cliff Palace once housed as many as 30 families, although most of the Anasazi lived up on top of the Mesa. Apparently these people used the cliff dwellings as storage for grain and seeds, as well as places to perform ceremonies. They were very religious folk. During the peak between 4,000 and 5,000 people lived in this area. There are over 2,000 structures that have been found. As you drive around the park you can see cliff dwelling everywhere.

This dwelling is the Balcony House in a different part of the Mesa. There is some mystery surrounding this structure because there is very little evidence of fire in most of the rooms. One speculation is that this was a nursery: mainly due to the balcony wall on the outside of most of the structure (most of these dwellings had no walls to keep you from falling off and into the valley below; sometimes to your death). All tours required a ticket and Ranger guide. But, they were all great. We were able to tour 3 spectacular dwellings. Unfortunately, half of the park closes after Labor day (open Memorial day). If you come here you will have to battle the masses during the busy season. But, we highly recommend it.

The Spruce Treehouse was the final dwelling we toured. You can walk down to it from the visitors center. The poles rising out of the ground are the access ladders into the Kivas. Kivas are round rooms dug into the ground and covered where the Anasazi held their spiritual ceremonies. They have a fire in the center and ventilation tunnels supplying fresh air with deflectors in front of the fresh air entering the Kiva so the entering air does not cause the fire to spark up or blow smoke in your face.
The Anasazi disappeared from Mesa Verde in the late 1200's. No one really knows why. The White man thinks it was due to prolonged drought. Or, perhaps over population and over utilization of natural resources (firewood, animals, and soil). Nevertheless, they left without much of a trace, and they had no written language. This unexpected side trip was especially valuable for McLeod since we had just finished a History section on the Anasazi. Stay tuned for my next entry as we hired a native Navajo for a tour of Canyon De Shelly and learn what the Navajo think happened to the Anasazi.

2006-10-07T17:04:00.000-07:00

Canyonlands

Canyonlands National Park is only 30 miles from Arches, but it feels like a thousand. It's unbelievable that the landscape can change so dramatically in only 30 miles.

Canyonlands is reputed to be one of Butch Cassidy's Hole in the wall gangs hideouts. Although we have traveled through several towns this week that all hold this distinction. Perhaps he traveled very far.

Unfortunately, these pictures do not do this panorama justice. I just can't get the depth in the pictures. It really is huge, and similar to the Grand Canyon. If you ever saw Thelma and Louise; this was where they drove the 66 Thunderbird off the cliff (yes, I know it was supposed to be the Grand Canyon; but not according to local folk tale).

This park is a 4-wheel drive paradise. I suspect this may be the best way to explore this park since it is huge! There are 3 ways into the park and each way is via a dead end road. To drive to the end of each road would take much more than 1-day. The weather is turning and we are headed south.

2006-10-07T16:45:00.000-07:00

Arches- Day 3

Our final day in Arches was another experience in wonderland. If you have the opportunity to come here plan on at least 3-days and expect to hike at least 20 miles. Due to the ages of McLeod and Erik we were limited to about 5-miles each day; but, no regrets.

Our first hike this day was to the North and South "Windows". This is only a 1/2 mile hike round trip. It's hard to compare these arches to those I have already shared with you. Suffice it to say, they are all incredible and worth seeing!

This arch (above) is called Landscape arch. About a decade ago a huge chunk of this arch fell, almost hitting 6 people who were underneath it. We were able to view a video one of them took while the arch was cracking and fell. I do not recall the quantity of rock but it was something approaching 180 tons. It is suggested that you hike to this arch since it is unknown how long it will remain. The hike is very easy and only about a 3-mile round trip. This hike is at the end of the road in the park, and seems to be the most popular (although the Fiery Furnace surpasses it in beauty). If you go, I suggest you drive to the end of the road in the early morning and do this hike before the other tourists show up.

Arches National Park

2006-09-27T19:31:00.001-07:00

Arches National Park

Moab, Utah

Day 1

Wow!
Words can not describe this place.
I am not a religious person; but being here is what I imagine a spiritual experience must be like.

Today we hiked about 4 miles up to "Delicate Arch".

The scenery was so spectacular, and the kids were enjoying themselves so much, there was no whining. Even though Erik had some "new boot rash" which we quickly covered with band-aids to eliminate the formation of blisters.

The weather has been perfect!

80 degrees at the hottest today; not a cloud in the sky.

It is hard to imagine that anything could surpass what we have seen today in this park.

Originally, I anticipated a stay of 1-2 days here, but after this experience I think we will be here for 3-4 days.

Tomorrow we have a Ranger led hike through the "Fiery Furnace" section of the park. This section was closed to the public for several years due to too much human traffic. It is now open only to those accompanied with a Ranger, or with a special hiking permit.

Day 2

We meet Ranger Steve at 10:00 for a 3-hour tour through the Fiery Furnace. This area is only 1/2 miles by 0.5 mile in area. But, you could easily get lost and starve out here. The rock formations are called "fins" because the erosion has created these fins of rock than sometimes span the entire length of the "furnace" (1/2 mile). The distance between the fins is sometimes just wide enough for a human to squeeze through.

As we hiked through this area you felt like you were in an Indiana Jones movie (or at least where one was filmed).

The entire park is interspersed with arches (yeah, makes sense in Arches National Park). I guess there are thousands! The most recent one discovered was in 1988; and they expect more to be discovered as well.

Here is a shot of the trail through the "fins": it is very humbling here. We truly felt honored to have the privilege to hike through this area that very few humans get the opportunity to see.

Homeschooling: Damn this is time consuming! The "expectation" is that we will put in 5 hours a day. However, to do the lessons outlined correctly you could easily spend 8-10 hours a day. We are cautiously optimistic that this will get better as we get more acclimated with the curriculum, but we feel overwhelmed at times. Tomorrow we will take a break from our field trips and get caught up on schooling.

Hope all is well with those keeping up on our travels.

Great Grandma Ginny and Grandma Pat, we think of both of you often.

The Paton's

Jackson, WY to Vernal, UT

2006-09-25T19:17:00.000-07:00

We did spend 3 days at Jackson Hole, WY. While this is a beautiful place, (somewhat reminiscent of Ketchum, ID) it is really a tourist trap. There are more Galleries than anywhere else I have been. Prices for basics (except fuel) is about 40% higher on average than what we are used to in the Seattle area: [a bag of (3) organic romaine hearts was $8.99 at the grocery].

When we left Yellowstone we had seen every native animal except moose. But once we reached Grand Teton National rec area we were not disappointed (except no racks on these guys).

We completed our first science project which entailed building an aquifer with layers of clay, fine sand, coarse sand, and pea gravel. Then we "drilled a well" with a pencil wrapped in a nylon stocking, removed the pencil, filled the aquifer with water, and drew water out of our well with an eye dropper. Next we polluted the aquifer with red food coloring and watched it seep through the layers and eventually contaminate our well as we continued ot draw water out of the aquifer. This was actually a very cool project!

After school we rode the tram to the top of Jackson Hole ski area. The views were good and the day was spectacular.

From Jackson we head South on highway 191. This is a great 2-laner with very little traffic and incredible scenery. The fall colors are out in full splendor. Antelope are everywhere!

We make good time through the Flaming Gorge area on to Vernal, UT.

Vernal is the Dinosaur capital of the world. There have been more dinosaur remains found here than anywhere else. We spent several hours today at the Utah state museum on dinosaurs where the kids became "Junior Scientists" and earned a badge.

Ranger Rick at the Museum suggested a drive up to a historic site that has petroglyphs from sometime between 1 A.D. - 1,200 A.D.

Tomorrow we head for Arches National Park and the Moab area. Weather looks great for the foreseeable future.

Hope all is well with everyone.

The Paton's

Yellowstone

2006-09-21T17:15:00.000-07:00

It looks bad! 30 degrees and snowing. Have you ever driven a 55'+ rig in snow? Neither have I, and I don't want to do this. Fortunately it is not sticking to the road, but we are at the point of no return since everything within 100 miles is over 7,000 feet. As we enter the park the ranger station is marked 12'6" but we are 13'. Jeanne gets out to watch me remove the air conditioning unit from the roof of the trailer. However, we are watching larger RV's go under the entrance without issue. As Jeanne begins to climb the ladder a Ranger comes out and tells her that the height is really 14'6". We begin to feel better.

30 miles down the road the kids start to yell Buffalo!
This guy is close enough to reach out and touch.

Another 20 miles down the road more screaming from the back seat..."Elk, Dad, stop!"

Look closely and you can see a large Bull Elk lying in the grass in the background.

10 miles further we arrived at the Fishing Bridge RV park on Lake Yellowstone; the largest fresh water high altitude lake in North America: it looks like an ocean.

The next day we awake to sunny skies and 60 degrees. After breakfast we head towards Old Faithful for our dose of geysers. We arrive at 11:00 AM for a Ranger tour of the geyser field. The tour follows a boardwalk through a series of geysers around Old Faithful; and of coarse we watch her erupt in all of her glory.

On the way back to the trailer (Edna) we see our first Grizzly Bear.

About this time we realize that the best way to see animals is to look for the crazy tourists who stop their cars in the middle of the road, grab their cameras, and run as close as they can to get the best picture. I usually stop to watch the tourists get mauled by whatever they are trying to photograph.

Our third day remains sunny with temps in the mid-sixties. We decide to go hiking in the "Grand Canyon" of Yellowstone. It's amazing how different the scenery changes in a few miles in this park.

Our fourth day brings rain. We decide to do the northern loop of the park and head towards Mammoth Hot Springs. By this time the Buffalo have become commonplace and we all are disappointed when that is all the cars are stopped to see.

We do get to see a mama black bear and her cub however, the 200 crazies have scared them off before I can get my picture.

Our next wildlife experience is a small group of big horn sheep (not very big ones though). Again, they are close enough to touch. Not a lot of fear in these animals.

Mammoth as a series of travertine steps that are formed from the incredible volcanic activity. The water bubbles up forming pools and the minerals create dams that the water falls over and then the process is re-created to form series of beautiful pools each one spilling into the other(s).

We decide to treat everyone to dinner at Old Faithful Lodge. This is a Historic place built in 1-season in the late 1800's. It is built of relatively small logs and rises 7 stories high (although the top 4 stories are closed due to structural integrity issues from an earthquake a couple of decades ago: doesn't instill a lot of confidence, but it's a very cool structure). After dinner we wait outside in 35 degree weather for another eruption of Old Faithful and then begin the 1-hour drive to Edna in the dark (about 9:00). They say the best wildlife viewing is dawn and dusk. We are outside of those times so I'm not expecting much; but then to the left is a huge Bull Elk with the largest rack I have ever seen. At the same time Jeanne yells "Bear" right up ahead. The Bear is long gone by the time we proceed the 30 yards, so I back up slowly to get another glimpse of the elk. He has not moved and as we roll down the window to take a picture he is just 6 feet away!

Our fifth day we awake to snow. Time to go. We pack up and head to Jackson Hole. Light flurries present no problems and we decide to bunk down at the Jackson KOA for 1-3 days and get caught up on home schooling (which is going very well for McLeod: Erik really does not want to do anything but play. Oh, to be eight years old again!). It is 7:30 PM as I finish this entry and there is 1-2" of fresh snow on the ground.

Hope all is well with all of you reading this. Please keep in touch via e-mail: jamescpaton@gmail.com

Our internet access is sporadic so do not be alarmed if you do not receive a reply for a week of so.

The Paton's

The First Week

2006-09-15T21:04:00.000-07:00

Today marks our first week on the road.
We began our journey at the coast with Jeanne's folks: Papa and Mama Jensen. This used to be an annual trip for us however, it has been 2 years since we have been to Kalaloch. This place is magical! If you have never camped on the Washington coast you owe it to yourself to spend a few days at either Kalaloch campground, South Beach, or the Lodge.

From here we scaled Mount Rainier with Ernal and Edna (our trusty tow vehicle and his 35' girthy wench); spending the night at Rimrock lake just east of White Pass. The lake was half drawn down (it is a reservoir) and it would have been a long hike for a swim if you were so inclined.

Traveling east on Highway 12 is a great route into south-eastern Washington if you have never traveled it. Far better than I-90 for scenery. This took us to the Snake River where we spent the next night at a park just west of Clarkston right on the river. This park is reminiscent of the PUD parks on the Columbia just North of Wenatchee and is operated by the PUD in this area. The camp sites are right on the water with their own docks and boat ramps. This would be a great location for folks with boats.

Today we continued east on highway 12 through Idaho and up to Missoula, Montana. It's cold! They are expecting snow and other people in RV's are heading for the lowlands. We are currently parked in a KOA and it is full (this KOA has about 200 sites).

We have been immersed in home schooling this week. It is very time consuming! But, I can tell you the kids are thriving between whining fits. I can understand how home schooled kids receive better educations. More on this later.

From here we are headed to Yellowstone; unless we get snowed out.

Our best to everyone.

The Paton's

A taste of mortality goes a long way

2006-07-03T06:25:00.000-07:00

Shortly before my fortieth birthday the vertigo and dizzy spells became too much: I finally sought medical advice. As I was referred to numerous "specialists", who poked, prodded, and performed MRI's, EKG's, Blood tests, audiologist testing, the list goes on...I realized I was in for more than I bargained for. After 2 months of testing the DR's told me that they could not find anything wrong; and to come back in 4 months for another MRI.

"BS", was the word that rang through my head. You do not go through 2-months of this without performing a little due diligence on your own; and I had already discovered that my issues were classic brain tumor symptoms. When I asked the Dr. if he thought I had a Brain tumor, he replied..."yes, but it is not showing up on the MRI scan yet, which is why I want you back in 4 months. I thanked him and left the office.

2 kids, the youngest only 7 months, a wife, the dream home we spent 2 years building, and a business providing a decent living: none of it seemed to matter very much in light of this prognosis.

10-12 weeks later I experienced an excruciating sinus pressure headache; the kind that feels like a hot nail is imbedded in your temple. Jeanne (the wife unit, and ex-pharmacy tech.) prescribed a sudafed. Wow! I had the best day I'd had in 2 years! Clear-headed: I could think; no dizziness, or foggy head, this was incredible! The following day I started the morning with a sudafed. The second best day I'd had in years. I called the Dr. and was told to get in there as quickly as possible. After a Cat-scan (a $200 test), he sat back and laughed..."here's your problem, your sinuses are all clogged up",

I was a little disappointed...

To try and condense a very long story: the next couple of years were spent trying to clear things up with allergy medications to no avail. Endoscopic sinus surgery provided incredible relief and brought me back into the land of the thinking.

Looking back, the 10-12 week taste of mortality was the most valuable experience I have ever had. I will never take life for granted again! I began to ask myself the following question: "if I only had 1-year to live, what would I do?" My answer was to spend the time with my family, traveling, and educating my children to the best of my abilities while providing them with incredible experiences.

The Great North American Road Trip is the first major excursion of what I hope to be many in the years to come.

2006-07-01T07:19:00.000-07:00

"Can we talk about it?"

A very concerned "motherly look" spread across her face as she said this. I had not seen this expression for almost 40 years, and had the immediate feeling that I had done something wrong. It's amazing that your mother can still hold this incredible power over you at 47 years old.

After talking about it for 3 or 4 years Jeanne and I had finally decided that we were going to do it! We sold our home of 10 years, moved into a rental, and began simplifying our lives. After 1 year of renting we decided if we were going to do it, now was the time.

The kids will not be attending traditional schools next year as we embark on home-schooling, and I am in the process of learning how to run my businesses "virtually".

Today we took delivery of our "new home", at least where we will live for the next year: a 35- foot fifth wheel trailer. The next few months will be spent prepping for the launch date of September 9th, when we depart on the Great North American Road Trip.

Wish us luck, and send suggestions, comments, or other thoughts you may have.

Warm Regards,

James C. Paton