The Great SE Road Trip

After spending too much time on the couch all winter not feeling well, it was time to get out of the house, live life, and create some more "moments".  After considering a number of trip options, we settled on a driving trip to the southeastern U.S. and back.

Road Trip!!! - Southeastern United States

A three week trip with me driving solo with Mary joining me in Fort Myers on March 17 - 24 (some people have to work).  Visit family and friends and take in the sites along the way.  Turns out I only had to drive two days by myself as brother Doug flew into Minneapolis to drive with me to his place in Georgia, and brother Chip flew into Jackson, Mississippi to drive with me back home.  True "moments" are created by being with people and I was so blessed to spend so much time with family and friends on this trip.

Left Little Falls on Tuesday morning, March 6, to meet brother Doug at the airport, just as most of the snow from the storm the day before was ending.  Doug was true to his word and did not let a little snowstorm affect how he was going to dress.

Nice legs

That night we gathered with my sister Rene' and her family, brother Ken and son Nate, and Christy and Caleb for supper at Shamrock's in St. Paul.  (I'll confess now:  I did a really poor job of taking pictures of people on this trip.  Have to do a better job of keeping the camera out and looking for those photographic moments.)

Wednesday morning it was time for the journey to begin.  After a brief stop in Rochester to see Sue and Paul Anderson, we headed for Doug's home in Georgia and saw the following along the way:

Metropolis, IL

Can't go to Metropolis and not see Superman!

Superman's Gift Shop - Notice the old fashioned phone booth left just for Superman.

And there he goes!

Nashville, Tennessee

Stopped just long enough to do a little scouting for what I hope will be a future trip with Mary.  Checked out the area by the Country Music Hall of Fame.  Can't wait to explore this town!

Checking out all of the restaurant and live music choices.
There were pockets of live music even in the afternoon.

Does riding a Pedal Pub qualify as a bike ride?
Seems like the thing to do in Nashville.

U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, AL

Always loved following the space programs and I had previously visited both the Johnson Space Center in Houston and the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, so couldn't pass this one up.  This is where all rockets for both the military and space program are designed.  They also hold camps for groups of young future astronauts.

The space shuttle Pathfinder greets you at the entrance to the center.  Never heard of the Pathfinder?  It was never meant to be launched, display only.

One of the exhibits was a partial mock up of the international space station.  For some reason, one of the biggest signs marking what things were was the sign for the bathroom.  Guess it can be a priority.  😊

Hitting the target is important in zero gravity.

Saturn 5 rocket used for going to the moon.

The command module for the Apollo missions. 
In such close quarters, the astronauts better like each other.

Chattanooga, Tennessee

Chattanooga was a key strategic location to winning the Civil War.  Numerous battles were fought in the fall of 1863 for control of the mountains and areas surrounding the city.  Eventually the Union Army was able to gain control, cutting off supply lines for the Confederate Army, and paving the way for the Union to advance in the South.

Lookout Mountain.  Great view of the city below.
Easy to see why this was a strategic area to control during the Civil War.

Chickamauga National Military Park

Statues and monuments marked the battlefield.  We learned more about
battle from the movie inside the visitor center than we did from the information
provided out in the field, unlike what you find when visiting Gettysburg.

The trip down to Georgia had also included plans to visit Jack Daniels or some other distillery and to visit Great Smoky Mountain National Park.  Brother Doug decided he didn't really need to visit a distillery and the main road through the park was closed due to snow and ice.  We managed to see some of the park and the weather while we were out on Doug's business route the following week.

Blue Ridge Parkway.

Great Smoky Mountains - snow on the tops with more on the way.

After ten days with brother Doug and his family, it was time to head for Fort Myers to meet Mary.  While waiting for Mary's flight to arrive and before they left town, I was able to spend time with friends Chris and Doug celebrating St. Patrick's Day.

A very happy Doug after he discovered that Bell's Hopslam was on tap.

During the time Mary and I spent together in Fort Myers we did the following:

Minnesota Twins Spring Training Games

We were able to attend two games and had a great time as we are both big baseball fans.

Tony Oliva

Joe Mauer

Time on the Beach

Because I was having challenges with my left leg and lower back, our time on the beach was much less than we originally planned.  We were unable to enjoy Sanibel Island as we spent our time in traffic or trying to find a parking spot that never materialized.  But we did get to spend some time having supper at Fort Myers Beach and watching the sunset.

Everglades National Park and Big Cypress National Preserve

Best day of the trip!  We took a boat ride in the Everglades.  Our captain then mentioned that if we were willing to drive eighteen miles, there was a gravel road that would allow us to see lots of wildlife without leaving our car.  That was Big Cypress Natural Preserve and it was definitely worth the drive. Lots of birds, turtles, and especially alligators, all in their native habitat.

A dolphin popped up to greet us.  A great "Flipper" moment!

Manatee Park and Six Mile Cypress Slough

Closer to Fort Myers we were able to take in some wildlife as well.

Can't come to Florida this time of year and not find a way to see these gentle creatures.

We were also able to spend a couple of hours visiting with cousins Sue and Duane Paulson and Sue's dad Lloyd.  An unexpected but very wonderful visit.

After dropping Mary off at the airport in Fort Myers, it was time to visit friend Tami in Panama City.  Two days of quality time running around PC as the final preparations are made on oldest daughter Lindsey and her fiance' Nathan's wedding.

Sunrise on the bayou behind the Graham house.

Friends!

The final leg of the road trip involved meeting brother Chip at the airport in Jackson, MS to ride home with me.  We stopped to see the Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock, AR.

Besides replicas from the White House, there were many displays detailing Bill Clinton's political life.  I consider myself independent; I don't like either political party at this point.  One of the reasons became clear during this tour:  we haven't found a way to balance the budget and pay down some of our debt in over twenty years.  Baffles me why we can't get that done.

We stopped at Chip's home in Olathe, KS.  Besides visiting with the family (Melissa, Aidan, Finlay, and Kannon), we took in the National World War I Museum.  One of the best museums I have ever visited; we were there 3.5 hours and could have stayed longer.

Returned home in time to attend Good Friday services and see ten inches of snow fall over night.  It was a great trip; as always it is good to be home again, despite the snow.

I've shown many pictures of the places visited during the 3.5 week trip; it's a lot to document in one posting.  The best moments from the trip came from the time I was able to spend with my two brothers, Doug and Chip.  They and their families made sacrifices so that we could have that quality time together.  I can't say thank you enough!!!

"Life is not measures by the number of breaths we take but by the number of moments that take our breath away"  Keep looking for the moments in your life!