End of the Trail :(

Well, that's all, folks! Kelly came to get Ken and me in Dahlonega, GA, and we returned home. I was beyond sick, unable to breathe, stuffy head, etc. After we got home, I was tested and found out I had COVID-19. I am so tired of the virus and how it has ruined everything for the past couple of years. I hope and pray that we will have another chance on the trail one day. 

Location: Greeneville, TN, USA

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This Week!

Route 66 (Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas)

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This past week I’ve been riding the historic Route 66. From Santa Rosa, New Mexico, I crossed into the top of Texas (7/16), then to the middle of Oklahoma (7/17), into the corner of Kansas (7/18). In Texas, I had lunch again at the Midpoint Cafe in Adrian, TX. I ate there in 2017 when I was west bound. The place is full of nostalgia and signs. They are dedicated to keeping the memory of the mother road alive. The “Midpoint” is exactly 1139 miles in and equidistant between Santa Monica and Chicago. In Oklahoma, I crossed myself in Oklahoma City and was invited to spend the evening with the Fankhouser’s again on my way through.  The scenery changes quickly on Route 66. Different towns offer different levels of preservation or dilapidation, depending on the circumstances. The landscape goes from high dessert to rolling hills, to flat prairie. Lots of agriculture and small towns. The Americana of yesteryear lurks in the shadows of neon gardens and museums. The “old road” is barely pass...
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Avoiding Big Sur Landslides and Forest Fires!

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Today (7/19), I rode "inland" up into California rather than hug the coast. It was my plan, as much as possible, to go up Hwy 1 as far as I could. Mother Nature had other plans. The recent land slides at Big Sur and the Forest Fires kept me off of the southern coast of California. It was disappointing, but I decided to do other stuff instead. I set a course to the Pinnacles National Park in central California. I was contacted by Ruth Greer, who wanted to catch up with me on the journey. I worked for Jerry Greer who was the Radiological Controls Operations Supervisor at Westinghouse/Bettis Atomic Power Lab in the early 90s at NPTU Charleston. I haven't seen the Greers since I left Westinghouse in 1994, so it's been 23 years. I thought originally that they lived in Utah, and was planning to see them on the return trip, but they had moved to Bakersfield, CA a few years ago. So, I routed today's trip through Bakersfield and had lunch with Jerry and Ruth Greer. It ...
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A Day In Dahlonega, GA - Day 3

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May 4, 2022 We spent the day in Dahlonega, GA. Woke up VERY SORE with heavy legs. I had to shuffle to the other room. At breakfast, we met up with a man that was Ken's age who had spent the last year preparing, backpacking trips, and practicing and who had also come off the trail for similar reasons. He was having issues with heat exhaustion and extreme cramping.  I didn't remember a fun fact until our shuttle driver yesterday reminded me. An old Army Ranger saying goes, "Sassafrass will kick your ass!" It refers to Sassafrass Mountian, which is the assent that we didn't make yesterday before calling for a shuttle. On the other side, the Army Ranger School is at the bottom of Sassafrass Mountain. Now, it all makes sense. 😦 We have spent the day walking around Dahlonega, trying to work the soreness out of our muscles. Ken took his pack to the Wilderness store in Dahlonega to have the woman evaluate his gear. Mostly he was in good shape. We could have both shaved a...
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Over the Teton Pass (this time without snow! 😉)

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I spoke a bit yesterday of my time in Idaho Falls, ID. Today I crossed the Teton Pass! That is significant to me because the last time I went over the Teton Pass it was in December 1989 in a blizzard in a rental car (Mercury Tracer) with bald tires. The story is... Lisa Montelongo and I decided to take one of our days off to go explore the Palisades and Jackson Hole. When we were eating dinner in Jackson and here comes the snow. We decided to look at the map and rather than backtrack our path, go across the mountains and beat the snow. That didn't work! Lisa's fingerprints are probably still in the dash of the rental car that we had. Even though I got to go over Teton Pass doesn't mean that I got to see anything. Today's trip was extremely disappointing.    I think it was only disappointing because I knew what was on the other side of the misty haze. The majesty of the Teton Mountains is awesome. On a clear day, they jut up into the sky like they were just painted ther...
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Beginning of Route 66 (Third Corner)

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I’m not sure the complete reason for the infatuation I feel for the Historic Route 66. When I traveled 66 from Chicago to Santa Monica in 2017, I spoke a bit about the “sacredness” of the road… about how traveling the road connected me to something from the past and something other than myself. I prayed the Litany of Supplication at the 3rd Corner of these contiguous United States, asking God to guide us to peace and reconciliation.  One of the main treats of today was meeting up with my classmates and friends, Pete Ince and Bobak Montemedi. It was very cool to get together with them at Ye Olde King’s Head, a restaurant on Santa Monica Blvd. just up from the West End of 66. Pete, Bob, and I graduated from Frederick Military Academy together 40 years ago. With this as the year of our 40th, and them not able to make the reunion in August, I felt it was a real honor to see them. We enjoyed stories of yesteryear and bringing each other up to date with what’s going on in our lives. Like...
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Day Two!

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Woke up wet!! There was a big rain storm last night so I had to pack wet. The tent kept me nice and dry. The morning I had to rig for rain, but ended up being a great riding day. The trip to NY was great. When I got to Gilbert Lake, I was excited that there was no rain in the forecast, so I opened up and hung everything out to dry. I decided to sleep under the stars... I bit nippy to do that at 51 degrees.     I have often said that it's not about the destination, it's about the journey. What we do on the journey, the people we encounter, the way we act, the lives we touch, the lives that touch us, the roads we travel, all have a formational piece to them. Our Christian life is about the journey (and sometimes we have to pack wet - knowing the soggy mess will be with us at the next destination.) So much for mixing metaphors. I have the versus in Exodus rolling around in my head every time I put up and take down a tent. The Israelites were a nomadic people when they ...
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