Pictures from the trip version 3

The Garmin GPS took us down a dirt road that had signs that stated "entering flood area". WEEE have to love Topeka.

This is a photo of the GPS road map.







Percy and Rose as my copilots. (awaiting mom in the store)










Finally in Boulder !!!

Pictures from the trip version 2

Percy and Rose traveling in the car.
What wonderful traveling dogs. Nearly the whole time they slept on top of each other and behaved like two small drugged up doggies. Both of which, they are not (or were)









Camped on the Illinois side of the Ohio river. Able to actually light up a campfire.





St Louis Missiouri. If you don't recognize it, well, sucks to be you.

Pictures from the trip version 1

Good morning Rose, are you ready to move?







November 10th - bye bye Augusta..... breakfast brunch at New Moon Cafe at 0800.










The van is all packed and ready to go. at 1230.




Mom and I at Woody Gap nearly to
Deep Hole Campground in Suches Georgia.

Belated trip end.

Ok, so I feel really bad, I actually got into Boulder a few days ago. I have just been so drained that I couldn't bring myself to write anything. For once, I did not even write in my journal the whole trip. After the last stop in Nashville we drove across Kentucky and camped just over the Ohio river in Illinois. It was a little odd since the state park was located so close to a 'downtown region' that we listened to the deep rumble of trains passing by all night. It was nice to have the smoke curling off the fire as we played Scrabble (which I came to find out that my mom absolutely hates that game) and listened to the wind blowing through the trees and rustling the falling leaves. Thank goodness we had listened to the weather forecast driving across Kentucky, for it started to rain that night, and although it petered off several times, it rained consistently nearly the whole night. The drive through Illinois was droll and filled with miles and miles and miles upon miles of nothing but foggy flat country, dead deer and highway. That day we made all the way through Illinois and Missouri and to somewhere west of Topeka. A state Park out in the middle of BFE Kansas. It was beautiful driving in and seeing a flock of about 10 plump female turkeys, white tailed deer bounding across the road and the signs of many other wild animals (possible bobcat, wolves, raccoons etc..)

The next morning we took off about 6 am, drove and drove and drove across the windswept tundra that is Kansas. There is not much to speak of in Kansas aside from something like 80+ road 'waffles', 50+ mile per hour winds, and dust, lots of dust. It was nice as soon as we crossed the Colorado border and in short order started to see the rockies as floating large thunder clouds in the distance.

I really want to write more about my whole trip, but right now I am so blasted in my mind with all of the change and all of the things that I feel that I have left unfinished and all of the things that are yet to come. I will post the pictures and greater descriptions of the tour within the next day or so in between family visits and the holidays.

Everyone have a great Thanksgiving.

Nic

Left home

Alright, will fill in more later, but left home at 1230 on Sunday and camped overnight at Deep Hole Campground. By far and large one of the best campgrounds in all of northern Georgia. Partly because it is cut off from all other major camping areas and also because it restricted to the 8 campsites there right on the bend in the river. It was quite notable how low the river was running, so much so that the usual canoe and kayak launch platform was about 2 feet above river level.



Overnight the temperatures dropped down to about 25 degrees as we watched Hoodwinked while we were all snuggled down inside the tent.

Early morning tried to make coffee in the camp percolator... what a well timed disappointment to have piss colored coffee to try and warm your fingers and your insides.

Left about 830 am from Deep Hole and headed up towards Chattanooga TN, which if we were to stick to the GPS road map that mom brought we might have found ourselves off-roading across the national forests of northern GA.

Now I am sitting at Panera Bread Company, thankful that I finally changed my underwear.


One thing is for sure, the changing color of the leaves on the trees in the Piedmont area were so amazingly beautiful that quiet a few times I wanted to stop and snap a picture.

Kinda on the road

Ok, so technically I am not on the road to Boulder at this precise moment. However I am in the process of cleaning out the van and making sure everything that is going in the van is perfectly packed and what have you to fit the dogs, myself, and my mom. I have tried to keep down to 3 large Tupperware containers (all of which can be removed at night to accommodate my mom's air mattress) I am perfectly content to sleep in the Mountain Hardware Skyview 2 tent (with Rose and Percy) on our prefectly comfortable Thermarests. It's silly that I have actually planned out the whole layout of the interior of the van when it's packed. I am just hoping that all of the incidentals will fit in to the nooks and crannys that might fit here and there. Add on top of that my momma would rather stay in a hotel at least one night of our trip (23 road hours but I want it to last at least 4 days). I am a little perturbed that my mother wass trying to dictate exactly how my road trip was supposed to go. I hate to say it like that and mean that this is solely about myself, but I had already started planning this trip ahead of time with stops in certain areas and my van situated a certain way. Eh... OH well.. guess what I get to do in the am... (after taking a van full of recyclables to North Augusta) clean, clean, clean the van and then go to Tuscany Spa for my pre trip massage...mmmm... massage.

Packing out and moving on up

Just had to note for those of you watching... I am watching the movers pack memories and mementos into boxes...... oops.. that cup just took a bit of damage. Sigh.. the joys of military movers, thank goodness I will never have to deal with the bottom end of the spectrum and the cheapest deal again. Unless I am desperate of course.

Alright everyone have a good one, the next posts will be from the road!!!

~ Nic