Silver Springs State Park

The following day, Lee took our Jeep to a Jeep service center...it seemed that our electronic key system wasn't working and with a long road trip ahead of us, we did not want to take any chances...to make a long story short, they tested the electronic system and told us we needed a new module which they had in stock....however, when it was replaced, they could not program our remote keys...after a couple of hours, it was decided to overnight new keys for the following morning. Lee, unfortunately, spent more time in the waiting room than he desired....and to think about going back the next morning at 8 am was not at all appealing, but what can you do!!
We were able to meet up with Alan and Susan for a trip to Silver Springs State Park...for you baby boomers out there, Silver Springs is where they shot the underwater scenes for the tv program Sea Hunt.  In addition, the original Tarzan and The Creature from the Black Lagoon movies

were made here as well.  One of the features at the park was the Glass Bottom Boat Ride...Lee and I had so much fun looking at the eel grass, fish, underground springs and formations going back to the 1400's.  We then took a leisurely walk around the park taking in the natural beauty and peacefulness the area had to offer.  We had a wonderful time and we were glad to have shared it with Alan and Susan.

Ocala, Florida

Before we left for Ocala, Lee noticed that one of our tag wheels had lost a lot of tire pressure...this was one of the tires we just had replaced, ugh!...thank goodness the Resort had a commercial air compressor and with a little help from the maintenance man, the tire situation was remedied and we were ready to boogie.  The reason for the loss of air was due to a new valve extender which Lee did not use again.
We arrived at our campground just before dinner time which was perfect for a little freshening up before meeting our friends Alan and Susan for dinner at their home.  Alan is an old acting buddy and room mate of Lee's from New York City....the three of us go back to 1979 and have some wonderful history together.  Susan and Alan have been together for some years now....we first met her about 4 years ago....what a sweetheart!  Alan was scheduled for Hip replacement

surgery later in the week so we were just delighted to be able to spend time together and have some laughs.....which we did!

Naples and Marco Island

On our second day in Naples, we had the opportunity to have dinner with dear friends from Maine, Lee and Bill Young. They have a fabulous home here for the winter...it had been quite a while since we last saw each other. The evening was filled with loads of laughter, great conversation, and incredible food and wine. We look forward to catching up with them sometime this summer when we are back home in Maine. On our third day, Lee and I walked in the downtown area which was filled with amazing shops and restaurants...of course, I did have to buy a little something. We met up with our friends, Joanna and Bob Todd, for dinner at the Sea Salt restaurant. Joanna and Bob are our next door neighbors back home..It really was fun to see them in Florida..we had talked about doing this for a couple of years but the time prior to this hadn't presented itself until now. The next day was filled with a drive through Marco Island.....lots of estate homes! We decided to have dinner at a restaurant referred to us by neighbors at the RV Resort where we were staying. The Snook Inn reminded us of a tropical cafe on the islands...it was located on the water with a big tiki bar in the middle. We shared a large picnic table with a couple from Canada, Gaitan and Michelle...by the time we finished our meals, we all felt like we were old friends...when we said goodbye, they gave us a bottle of their homemade maple syrup to remember them.

Cross Country 2016

Well a lot has happened in six years...our two sons got married to fabulous women and we now have three grandchildren...not too shabby!!! We decided to make a trip out to California to visit our west coast family for a month....our Miss Sophia will be six months old when we see her. We began our trip from Port St. Lucie, Florida where we spent our winter...the first stop was to get six new tires for the coach...the experience left a lot to be desired...details to follow. Then we were off to Naples for a couple of days to visit with friends. Naples was just beautiful...the Naples Pier was a great place to relax and people watch....the beach was amazing!

An Epilogue

Well, I am writing you from Iowa. We will be visiting Lee's sister Rosanne and husband Jim for a few days. We will also see their new grandson Felix and his proud parents, of course, Nathan and Suzie. Then we will be off to Red Bay, Alabama for motorcoach servicing and then off to Florida which will be our winter home base after the holidays.
What an amazing experience!! For those who know me, you know how reticent I was about doing this trip. But I have to say, it was a life changer in so many ways.
We have such a beautiful country!!! We need to continue to preserve it for generations to come. I thank those who have been faithfully following our blog and feel that the only way to end this adventure is to say:

"Oh beautiful for spacious skies
For amber waves of grain
For purple mountains majesties
Above the fruited plains
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!"

Until next time... I wish you good health and the love of family and dear friends!!!

Custer State Park - South Dakota

The next day Lee, Sammy, and I took a drive through Custer State Park. Did you know that George A. Custer led a scientific army expedition into the Black Hills in 1874???? Though the expedition discovered gold, Custer seemed more interested in the area's uncommon natural beauty. Years after fortune seekers took a toll on the area's wildlife, in 1913 The South Dakota legislature created a state game reserve in the southern Black Hills. In 1919, the reserve became Custer State Park.
We decided to visit this park since we were told by our friend Dan that there was a wildlife road where we could see more animals. Well, we certainly were not disappointed as the pictures show. We saw bison, deer, mountain sheep, burros, and more.
We then drove through Iron Mountain Road where there are granite tunnels, some so small, that we didn't think our Jeep would fit through. What a weird feeling to drive through these mountains; thank goodness we were not in the motorcoach!!!
One destination that caught our eye was the Black Hills Playhouse. I just love their sign using buffalo as the symbols of masks of tragedy and comedy. I had to take a picture of this. Even though the theater was closed for the season, it was nice to know that they had professional theater in the Black Hills!!
The next road we took was the Needles Highway. The name "Needles" comes from the slender granite peaks that characterize this area. The Cathedral Spires is a series of pinnacles that resemble church spires and the Needles "Eye" is a granite formation which looks like the eye of a needle. Isn't that just amazing!!!
Lee and I enjoyed traveling around and looking at the differences in the mountains and its surrounding landscape.
We are so delighted to have had this experience.

Mount Rushmore National Memorial - South Dakota

What a breathtaking sight. Ever since I had seen the Alfred Hitchcock movie,North by Northwest, I've always wanted to see Mount Rushmore and, boy oh boy, I was not disappointed.
Here is a little history. Gutzon Borglum, the artist and sculptor, had a vision for Mount Rushmore to be "the formal rendering of the philosophy of our government into granite on a mountain peak". Borglum chose to give human form to the abstract. His monument to America grouped four leaders who brought the nation from colonial times into the 1900's. The four Presidents were chosen to commemorate the founding, growth, preservation, and development of the United States. They symbolize the principles of liberty and freedom on which the nation was founded. George Washington signifies the struggle for independence and the birth of the Republic; Thomas Jefferson the territorial expansion of the country; Abraham Lincoln the permanent union of the States and the equality for all citizens; and Theodore Roosevelt, the 20th century role of the United States in world affairs and the rights of the common man.
It took fourteen years of work but only six years were spent on the actual carving.
Gutzon Borglum said, "A monument's dimensions should be determined by the importance to civilization of the events commemorated....Let us place there, carved high, as close to heaven as we can, the words of our leaders, their faces, to show posterity what matter of men they were. Then breathe a prayer that these records will endure until the wind and the rain alone shall wear them away."
Pretty powerful stuff!!!!
We were very fortunate to have seen the lighting ceremony of the monument which included a movie on Freedom and a salute to our men and women in the military who were in attendance. It was a very moving evening for us.