Week 5 - Homeward Bound

 

peaceful evening at Bulltown Campground near Burnsville, WV

Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area, Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia

West Virginia State Capitol, Charleston

Abraham Lincoln Walks at Midnight  

poem by Vachel Lindsay

    We enjoyed our drive on the Cumberland Parkway through Daniel Boone National Forest and camped on Cumberland Lake.  On to Tennessee and our ill-fated attempt to visit the State Capitol in Nashville.  We were frustrated by the lack of visitor parking, so we gave up after seeing numerous "Permit Parking Only" signs.

    We spent two nights camping at Priest Lake and spent a day roaming around the Franklin and Murfreesboro area, locating geocaches.  We visited a National Park Service site - Stones River National Battlefield where one of the bloodiest Civil War battles was fought in December 1862.

in the stairwell of a public library

Day is done, gone the sun,

From the lakes, from the hills, from the sky.

All is well, safely rest,

God is nigh.

(Opening lyrics to "Taps", written by Union Army General Daniel Butterfield in 1862.)

Little Rock, Arkansas - our 24th state capitol visit

Not far past Little Rock, we exited the interstate to see an unusual building in Benton - the Gann Museum.  The building is made of blocks of bauxite (an ore of aluminum).  A knowledgeable young man inside gave us a tour and told us of the history of the building and its contents.

We decided to avoid Texarkana and drove minor roads in Louisiana and entered Texas near Caddo Lake.  We traversed very familiar territory in East Texas along US Highway 59.  

We traveled for 39 days, through 13 states, covering 7,046 miles.  We are now acclimating to the heat and humidity of Houston and are planning our fall adventure to Arizona, Utah, western Colorado, and New Mexico.  

Friends, Old and New

 

Grey Towers National Historic Site - Pinchot Estate

ancestral summer home of Gifford Pinchot, first chief of the US Forest Service,

also past governor of Pennsylvania

View from the terrace of Grey Towers overlooking Milford, PA

The Finger Bowl at Grey Towers, a unique outdoor dining space

that allowed platters of food to be floated between diners.

Sundial on one tower wall

closer look at the sundial

We attended a geocaching event in New York, hosted by CaptainMath, and enjoyed a 

nice evening view of the Delaware River from the New York side

Gravity Railroad car in Hawley, PA

https://www.waynehistorypa.com/research/historictopics/gravityrailroad

Here is the "old friends" part: a 60-year friendship

Peter Miller and Brian

Seen while geocaching:

near Sackets Harbor, NY

We traveled another short section of the Lincoln Highway in Pennsylvania

Near Leesburg, Virginia

Brian's input:

 As usual. Kris has done a great job summarizing our adventure, but she asked me to add a bit to explain some of the connections with people.

Another road trip is behind us, and I am already thinking about the next one and how to plan it around doctor and dentist appointments.

This trip was quite different in many ways.  Having to plan in advance and make reservations, scheduling and coordinating with others for part of the trip, meeting with family and friends, as well as the fact that we are slowing down a bit, made for a few adjustments.

Although we didn’t go to any new major destinations like National Parks, enjoying lesser known areas and attractions is very enjoyable in its own right.

Plattsburgh, New York is only 63 miles from Montreal, so my first cousin, once removed, Travis doesn’t get many visitors that are just passing through.  We have been there several times though, and always enjoy the time together.  We had a stress-free, relaxing time with him, and unlike during family reunions, no other relatives to compete with to talk.

 After we left Travis’s and were on our way to Peter's, I got a message from a geocaching friend in Pennsylvania.  I met Kevin (CaptainMath), who is a fellow county chaser, last year in Texas.  He has a unique cache that I wanted to find, but it was out of commission when we headed north.  He was on the road, too, and couldn’t fix it, but said he hoped to soon. I learned he had repaired it, and would like us to find it.  We had reservations for camping 100 miles away, but we are flexible. He offered his front yard for ‘camping’, so we headed his way.

He has created quite a few complicated geocaches that tell a story, and his wife, Joy, has created artistic containers for many of them. Kevin took us on a tour of some (not all, by any means) of his favorites.  Although our stay was brief, we had some great conversations and saw a few excellent caches.

While visiting Peter Miller, it occurred to me that we have been friends for almost 60 years.  I moved to Houston in July 1966, and met him when school started that Fall.  We became friends through High School, and have kept in contact through the years.  We have stopped to see him in many states when travelling over the years. He was the one that went with me to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2 years ago.

If I don’t say it aloud every day while on our trips, I do think it, that we are so very blessed to be able to travel where we do and the way we do, together.  Life is good!

New York and More Dambo Trolls!

 June 17, 2026

Before crossing Lake Champlain by ferry, we saw a few interesting things in Burlington, Vermont.

Black granite sculpture of two whales' tails

World's tallest filing cabinet

Burlington Earth Clock

looking through the stones toward Lake Champlain

Next, we drove up to Grand Isle and took a 15-minute ferry ride across Lake Champlain to Plattsburgh, NY.  We delivered an early birthday gift to our favorite Girl Scout, Nora.  We buy cookies from her every year to help her meet her sales goal.  She promptly names her stuffed bear "Minty."   

We spent a few days with these Luther cousins, including some geocaching.  Brian took Nora to find a Girl Scout-themed geocache.  

We stopped at an unusual outdoor sculpture garden, too.

The Last Supper

I am not sure what the firing squad and begging figures represent

We traveled on to Tupper Lake in the Adirondack Park, to the Wild Center, and found five more Dambo Trolls.  We watched river otters in their indoor tank and heard a talk about bird adaptations.  A screech owl named Luna was in the lobby afterwards.

Luna at the Wild Center

Rainy weather caused us to change our camping plans and head to Watertown to a motel.  We have many memories of this part of New York when our son, Joel, was posted at Fort Drum, and we drove up there for his deployment ceremony before he left for Iraq in 2009.

                                            World's Largest Life Saver near Watertown.

We camped at Fillmore Glen State Park near Moravia, NY, where Millard Fillmore, 13th  president of the United States, was born.

reproduction of the Fillmore cabin