Good evening to all. This is the final posting for our Grand Adventure. We started home on Mon. the 2nd, and of course the weather was beautiful...no more rain...it figures. Every river we crossed through Missouri and Arkansas was over flowing its' banks and the flooding was extensive. There is a horse back riding arena outside of St. Louis that has a two story building on the grounds...the entire first story was covered by the water. It is always impressive when Mother Nature throws a fit!

We made it to Apalachicola by Wed. morning. We stayed in a campground on St. George Island outside of the town. To get there you have to go over a series of bridges and causeways that all together total about 10 miles. You know you are going over water when you are getting paced by the pelicans flying next to the car! We sat on the beach and just relaxed that first afternoon...it was nice to feel the warmth. We went to a very nice restaurant in Apalachicola called Caroline's Dining on the River. I had visited there when I was up there teaching a couple of months back.

The next day, we visited all the historical sites in the town, and walked along the main street. Again, the weather was perfect and we ended the day again on the beach watching the sunset.

We got up with the sun on Fri. and pulled up in front of the house just as the sun was setting. It made for a very long day with very numb butts at the end of it! The dogs couldn't figure out why we just kept going and going.

So after 10,150 miles here's what we can say about this ambitious trip...it was everything and more than what we could have imagined. We were swept up in the awesomeness of all the mountains we saw...we were left breathless at the beauty of the changing leaves...we are amazed at all of the friendly people we met in our travels. Plus, we are still speaking to each other! When we look back at the first pictures that were taken at the beginning of the trip, it seems like it was only yesterday that we were visiting these different places. And many of these places merit another visit...but that will be for another time in the future.

Thanks for coming along on this adventure with us. It has been fun sharing everying with all of our family and friends. Now that we are home, the light is on, and we are always up for visitors. But until we get the girls' bedrooms cleaned out, you might just have to sleep out in the camper!

Until our next adventure...Good bye for now.

Terry and Mark

Good evening everyone. The weather gods have turned on us. It has been raining everyday for the last week...bummer. We had some nice days early on, but once we left for Branson and the family reunion it hasn't really stopped. But that didn't stop any of us from getting out and shopping...or going to shows...or eating while we were there. There were 16 of us this year, which made for a pretty lively crowd. A friend from nursing school joined us on Sunday and we had a good time catching up. I saw her at our 35th reunion almost 3 years ago. Our time here has been spent visiting family and some pretty intense game nights. Even Mark is playing the games...and he actually does better then most of us, and he doesn't like to play games! It's just not fair. We were introduced to a website sporcle.com which is lists and lists of trivia. If that is your idea of fun, visit the site.

The leaves here are all but gone...and what is left is the golden yellows...but there aren't many of them. I guess I have been forever spoiled by the vivid reds and oranges of New England.

Before you know it, we will be on the road home. In some ways, it seems that the time has just flown by. When anyone asks how the trip has been, Mark always answers..."Well, we haven't killed each other yet...so I guess that means it is a success!" I married a comedian.

We will spend a couple of days in Appalachicola on the way home. I taught a class there just before we left for vacation and it looked like an interesting town/area to visit. Yes girls, it's almost time to get rid of the demon cat...hang in there!

Talk to you all again later.

Terry and Mark

Good morning all. Well we got to Missouri with no problems...but it could have been sticky if we were one day behind on our schedule. Here's what I mean. On Wed, we landed in State College, Pa...which happens to be where Penn State is located. Their homecoming is this weekend. In looking at the brochure from the campground, it seems there are lots of things in the area to do. We actually thought about it for a while, but decided since it was going to be in the high 30's overnight, it was better just to get on the road. The next morning we woke up to rain...not a nice little drizzle...but RAIN. We got the camper hooked up before it got too bad and got on the road. As we're going along, Mark said...look at these rain drops, they look like snow. It was cold enough to be snow, and there were some flakes, but not a lot. Of course it rained most of the day Thurs., which was appropriate since it was our anniversary 31 and counting!)...who can ever forget the outdoor wedding we had in the midst of a tropical depression???!!! By the end of the day, we were out of the rain and went out to a nice dinner to celebrate the day. Fast forward to Saturday...we are listening to the news before we headed out to Cuba. The weather man said, that State College, Pa had had over 9 INCHES OF SNOW on Th...tailgating for homecoming was cancelled, because the parking lots were under so much snow...they were going to have to bus the fans in!!!! Just think, if we had delayed our departure to play tourist, we would still be in Pa. and buried in the snow!

We for sure have gotten spoiled driving through the mountains and valleys of New England. And we have been there right at the peek of colors for all of the trees, so it has been gorgeous. Once we hit Illinois, it was flat and we were going through lots of farmland. And the colors have only just started turning in this part of the country. Hopefully when we get down into the Ozark Mts. later this week we will see more color again. Believe me, it will be quite an adjustment to come back to everything being just one color...green!

When we got to my sister's house, we were able to let the dogs loose in the yard and they ran around like maniacs for quite a while. It was a nice change from having to be on the leash all the time. Remember I told you all how we had been letting them go off the leash if the campground wasn't crowded...well. We had gotten back to Springfield,Vt. so I could teach one of my classes. Mark took the dogs out for a walk and just as he took them off of the leash, he saw something moving out of the corner of his eye and Kasey took out running after whatever it was. Mark's calling for her to come back and nothing...he came back to the camper and got me and we tried to go in the woods a little bit, calling for her all the while with not luck. I went back to the camper just in case she should come back. Mark is still out looking for her when he ran into some ladies who live and work at the campground, so they joined the search. After about an hour and a half, they went and got their dogs to help in the search. About that time, I heard one of the ladies say...is this the dog? I went out and sure enough there was Kasey...soaking wet and sitting next door at the campsite we had been in the last time we came through for a class. The ladies told us there are a lot of deer in the woods, so they felt pretty sure that was what she saw. There is also a lake about a half mile away that is still on the camp property and that's where she took a swim. What a relief to get her back. Believe you me, she was exhausted that night and slept like a log...of course she attached herself to Mark and wouldn't budge...even when he was on the bed watching TV.

Woke up to frost on the ground this morning...but there is no call for snow in the forecast, so I am keeping my fingers crossed. Will be visiting with family through the week and then head down to Branson for the family reunion. One of my friends from nursing school will be coming down on Sunday so we can visit through the day. That will be nice.

So stay warm everybody...will talk at you soon.

Terry and Mark

Hello to all. Well, here we are at the end of the teaching/touring portion of the trip. We had a beautiful holiday weekend here with arts/crafts/antique/apple fesivals all over the place. We visited a cute little town called Quechee where there just happens to be a Cabot Cheese outlet store. Spent quite a bit of time in there sampling cheeses and dips and after that of course we came out with cheeses and crackers. Yummy! Drove through the town of Woodstock and would have loved to walk around but there were so many people, we couldn't find a parking space. So it is definitely on my list of places to visit again.

On Sunday, the campground where we have been staying had a BBQ lunch for the campers. What a nice way to meet with other folks. THe people we sat with were also from Florida, so we compared work/family/camping adventures.

Yesterday we went to the movies in the town of Bellows Falls...another town to come back to and explore. The movie screen is in an old opera house with balconies and everything. It cost $4 a ticket and since it was Monday, they sold the small popcorn for .25! The large popcorn sells for $3.25! You could actually take your family to the movies and not go bankrupt. They aren't first run movies, but you can't beat the atmosphere!

We went to a local orchard yesterday and were able to ride out in the fields in a wagon and pick apples from the trees. The views were awesome. They had a huge supply of pumpkins and gourds...the most unusual pumpkin shape we say was fat and squished down...they call them "Cinderella" pumpkins. They also had a petting zoo on the property with all sorts of goats, sheep, chickens, peacocks, rabbits, and pigs.

What a wonderful adventure this has been. I really look forward to coming back this way sometime in the future to explore the things we missed out this time around. But with the temperature expected to be 28 degrees tonight with a possibility of snow flurries, it is definintely time to get out of Dodge. We pull out for Missouri tomorrow and should be there in time for another arts/crafts festival on the weekend. Then off to Branson for the family reunion. Will be in touch with all after I get to my sister's house.

Bye for now.

Terry and Mark

Hello again. The weather for the Oktoberfest celebration in Lake Placid turned out to be pretty nice after all. They had several different performers on the stage so it was a fun day of music and browsing the vendors boothes. It is official...my name is now Mountain Goat! I got a walking stick that says so!!! We rode in the gondola up to little Whiteface, where it is a vertical drop of only 2,00+ feet. There we were at the start of the ski trails and could really get an idea of what the skiers see as they start out. Not for me by a long shot!

Back to Springfield, Vt. to teach for one day and then we hit the road again. We went over to Cooperstown, NY, the home of the Baseball Hall of Fame. What a rush it was for me going through that museum, seeing pictures and memorabilia of players that I had only heard about (like Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, etc), and of players that I grew up watching (Yogi Berra, Sandy Kofax, Steve Carlton, Mickey Mantle, Bob Gibson, Lou Brock, and Ozzie Smith). There was a nice section dedicated to the women who have played ball through the years, Hank Aarons drive to be home run king, baseball in the movies, and much much more. We were there over 3 hours and realized it was already past 12:30. So we went out for a bite to eat at what has to be the tiniest diner I have ever seen (seats 25 and to get to the bathroom, you have to go through the kitchen and chat with the cook to get there!) The portions were huge and the food was very good. I though I would play it safe and just get a chef salad...left well over half of the salad stuff there was so much meat. Then back to the museum to finish our tour. We went through the hall of fame and when you realize how many players there are and how few get into the hall, it blows you away. YOu have to have played for 10 years and be retired for at least 5 to be up for consideration. Plus you have to be clean as a whistle, which leaves Pete Rose out of contention...even if he has broken several records. There was a display of some of the great broadcasters of the game, plus about 20 actual recordings of key games they called. I got a chill listening to Jack Buck call an inning of the World Series game in 1975, when the Cardinals won the game in the bottom of the 11th inning on a grand slam. I remember that moment as if it was yesterday. If you are a baseball nut, this is a place you have to go and visit.

Today, we are back in Springfield as I have to teach again on Tuesday. But since this is a holiday weekend and the last that most campgrounds in the area are open, we reserved a spot in the campground we have been staying at last week when we were here. Festivals abound this weekend in the area, so we will hope for good weather and play tourist one more time. After the last clss, we will be on our way to Missouri.

More after the weekend.

Take care. And also...welcome to Carson Michael Ellison. Congratulations to Lauren and Geoff (and Tuna, Turbo, Diesel, and the cat). Can't wait to meet him when we get home.

Terry and Mark

Hello everyone. After teaching several classes the past two weeks, we are back on the road again. While traveling from town to town in Vt., we did take some time to explore. We visited Stowe...home of Ben and Jerry don't you know! We were going to stop for a visit and some ice cream, but the line was long and moved slower than the lines at Disney so we opted to go to dinner instead! We came upon the Trapp Family Lodge...yep the folks from the Sound of Music. I was tempted to break into a chorus of "The Lonely Goatherd", but restrained myself. The family still ownes the lodge. The youngest son Johannes is running it now, but at 70, he is getting ready to turn it over to his son. Driving along I-89 and 100 in Vt was an experience. The views were breathtaking and just when you thought you had seen it all, you came around a curve and saw something even better. I told my classes I could see myself living up here except for one small problem...WINTER!!! You know you aren't in Kansas anymore when you see snowmobile crossing/road closed in winter signs.

On Wed., we arrived in Lake Placid, NY and were greated with a temperature of 40 at 2 in the afternoon. The trees are almost at their peak color here and it is gorgeous! We have been the ulitmate Olympic tourists, visiting some of the venues from the 1980 games. When we went to the Olympic complex, it is connected to the complex from the 1932 games. We got to see lots of memorabilia from atheletes through the years including Sonja Heini (1932 winner for figure skating), Dick Button (1950/54 winner for figure skating), Eric Heiden (1980 for speed skating), and lots of stuff from that historic hockey team that beat Russia for the first time ever and then went on to win the gold medal. We actually sat in the arena where this game took place and we could almost see the game playing out in our heads all over again. When we woke up yesterday, we were greeted by snow! Just flurries, down below, but up on the mountains, the snow stuck. It made for some good shots. We went to the High Hill Gorge and climbed around like mountain goats and saw some incredible sights. While sitting at lunch, the snow was coming down so hard, I thought for sure we would have accumulation...but it was too warm. Next, we went to the bobsled/luge/skeleton venue and got new insight into these different sports. Our guide there was a very engaging woman who just happens to be a Disney fanatic, so of course in between the history of the venue we swapped Disney stories.

Today, we visited the ski jump venue where there are 90 m/120 m/30 m jumps. We were able to watch some of the atheletes training from the 90 m hill and all I've got to say about these people is that they are nuts!!! We rode the chair lift (what an experience that was) to the top of the hill. They actually had to stop the chairs for me as I couldn't hike my butt up into the seat fast enough and almost kissed the ground trying to run away from the seat!!! Once on top, we were even with the guys at take off. Then we went to the top of the 120m tower (that's 253 ft) and were able to walk out on the observation deck to get a first hand view of what a jumper sees as they are taking off. We learned that when they hit the take off, they are going 60mph! This afternoon, we were off to the alpine skiing venue at Whiteface Mt. This mountain has a 3400+ vertical drop, the sharpest drop in the Eastern States. There was still plenty of snow at the top of this 4,700 ft mountain, so it made for a beautiful drive, and the scenary when you reached different pull outs really took your breath away.

Oktoberfest hits here this weekend, but tomorrow calls for a full day of rain so it will be a day of lazing around the camper. Hopefully, sunday will be a better day and we can see all the festivities.

Hope everyone is well. Happy New Year to all our friends. It was very wierd not being home and cooking for the holidays. I will have to make up for it at Hanukkah. We should be home by then!!!

Take care...more later.

Terry and Mark

Hello everyone. What a wonderful time we had in New Hampshire. Mark was brave and drove up the Auto Road to the top of Mt. Washington. Believe me, after we passed the tree line it was easier for me to just close my eyes...it was a loooooonnnnngggg way down. Once we were at the top, we were in shrouded in the fog so didn't get the good views that you get on a clear day. But at 6,000+ feet, the weather changes frequently. We went on a moose hunt again...took a tour that started out at 6:30 pm. The van had heavy duty lights and we cruised back and forth on "Moose Mile" until 10:30. During that time we saw 9 of the critters...just one bull with the antlers...and two who crossed right in front of the van. I couldn't get any pictures, but it was fun anyway.

We drove all over the area...again the leaves are just turning, but some pretty spectacular vistas. We visited the Balsam Hotel in Dix Notch...this is where the first ballots are cast in any presidential election. All the people in the district show up at the hotel and within a couple of hours of the polls being open, they have counted the votes and posted the results.

We went hunting water falls and covered bridges and found quite a few. What was funny is that the brochures said...easy walk. Then we got there and the signs say...100 steps down to the falls...but they don't say anything about the rocks/roots you have to avoid before you get to the steps! So most of the falls were 1/4 mile straight down and 1/4 mile straight up. Believe me the views were worth the pain in my legs the next day. We visited the Flume Gorge which if you ever get up this way is magnificent...again, lots of steps but well worth the trip.

Woke up this morning to frost on the ground and the car. Buddy took one step out the door of the camper and looked back at us with a look that said..."Are you kidding me?" But of course once the sun was, the temps got back to about 61.

I can't believe the number of motorcycles we have seen on this trip. Tons in Maine...and quite a lot in N.H. even with the cool temps that we are seeing. Yes, it's driving Mark nuts.

No real touring now for the next two weeks...it's time to go to work. So, more later.

Hope all is well with everyone.

Terry and Mark