Today marks THREE YEARS since we set out on our “Friends & Family” tour across this beautiful country. This afternoon we parked the bus in her new home....yep...we have found a place to land! We still plan on traveling at least half the year as long as we are able, but happy to have a new place to call home. The road still calls and we will answer her as often as we can. So very thankful for all we have gotten to see and experience along the way, but more important...all the family and friends we have been able to hug along the way.
My 1st Beignet
Sara, the boys and I spent the early afternoon of Christmas Eve at New Orleans City Park. A beautiful large oasis of calm in the middle of this vibrant city, it’s the location of the New Orleans Botanical Garden, a large Amusement park, amazing sculpture garden, walking paths along the gentle creek AND Cafe Du Monde’s newest location for their famous beignets. What a beautiful way to spend the holiday. And my 1st. beignet….yummy!
End of Year
It’s been hard to put words to screen the last few weeks, the days have been full and our service spotty to non-existent, but here goes a catch-up.
We spent almost the entire month of December at Sara and Travis’s new home in Belle Chasse, LA. Situated south of New Orleans on the bank of the Mississippi River, it was wonderful to feel the comfort of their new place. Located on a quiet street, and just a few miles from the base and school it will be their home base for the next few years.
We spent our days traveling around getting a feel for this area of the south, filling our bellies with amazing food and our hearts with memories. The boys are settling into their new school, there is a smoothie place right down the block they can reach on their bikes, and the neighborhood is safe for exploring.
As always, it was hard to leave. But we set out with the Dodge pulling a car trailer with things both Lisa and Sara had stored for us and headed for points West a few days before New Years’. It’s time to find a place to land.
Kings Mountain National Military Park
“The turn of the tide of success”
Part 1
Looking for a nice hike in the countryside, we found a description for Kings Mountain National Military Park on the web. Not really knowing too much of the history of the area it sounded like the way to get in some outdoor time as well as a history lesson. We drove about thirty minutes down beautiful country roads to arrive at the turnoff to the entrance to Kings Mountain State Park, then proceded on the same road another mile or so to the National Monument. Just an FYI, the State Park charges a fee to park, the National Monument does not. We also wanted to start a hike from a trail that led off from the Visitor Center of the Monument. When we arrived there were three large school buses in the parking lot and hundreds of middle-school-age children running around the area. Have to admit, our first thoughts were, “maybe this isn’t the day for a hike”, but we parked and got our gear on and as I went to use the restroom and check out the small museum, Bob looked at the map he had downloaded on All Trails before we left the house. We use this program quite a bit and have learned over the years to not rely on there being cell service where we are going. Bob is great about researching the area ahead of time and downloading ALL the trails we might want to explore. The other program he uses for bike trails is Trail Forks, and while it shows hiking trails - it is only if bikes are allowed also, and they weren’t at this trail. Both programs are free for the basics but we have the paid edition of All Trails because we tend to hike where there is no reliable cell service and like to have the maps downloaded to our phones. It has saved us more than once from taking a wrong turn and adding miles to our journey back to the jeep.
Gear on - we set off for the backcountry trail that will take us along Clarks Creek to Lake Crawford. An out-and-back trail, not loop, the app tells us it will be about a 7-8 mile trail depending on side trips, which we are pretty famous for. As we looked for the trailhead marker we were surrounded by rambunctious kids and I have to say the voice inside my head was saying “this is not going to be the quiet hike through the Carolina hills that I had anticipated”, but it was QUICKLY silenced by the other voice in my head (the one that really matters) that was saying “Isn’t it great that these kids are outside here in nature enjoying this beautiful fall day”! Well, we didn’t get very far down the backcountry trail when we realized that the kids were taking the 1.5-mile Battlefield trail and then having a picnic. Both my voices were now happy.
The trail started off on a black spongy surface that Bob thought was made out of recycled tires. Not what we are accustomed to, and I thought “my gosh this must have been expensive” when we realized that we were on the Battleground Trail, which is handicapped accessible and not part of the backcountry. Quick change of direction - you can see now how we always end up with more miles on the route than anticipated, and we are on the right trail to the lake. The first mile or so was mostly downhill, but not a very steep grade and then we started walking along the creekbed. Acorns underfoot, oak and maple leafs crunching with every step, the trail was a mixture of hardpacked Carolina red soil and loose gravel. The sun was peeping in and out and every once and awhile there would be a small gust of wind - just enough to rustle more leaves from the trees and I watched as they gently fell to the ground and mixed with the thick layering that was already there. We have missed the prime fall color for this area by a few weeks. Most all of the oaks and maples have either turned brown or dropped their leaves. But every mile or so we would take a turn and there would be a lone ash tree or small grove of trees in splendid vivid yellow. The sound of the creek babbling was the only other noise we heard, not a bird song or person to be seen for the first few miles. We crossed over into the State Park at one point - we noticed that the trail markers changed from the shiny blue “hiker” ones to just a small blue dot on the trees ahead. The markers came in handy at times, as the fallen leaves had completely covered the trail. Eventually, we made it to the lake, passing only one other set of hikers. We found a nice little place to sit on the dike that held Lake Crawford back and had a snack before the return hike. Just as beautiful and peaceful going back, we passed the same couple - they were doing the reverse of what we were. It was a soothing day, spent in a different type of forest than we are used to hiking. I would put this on our monthly list if we lived in the area.
Part 2
When we hiked the park a week or so ago, we kept talking about bringing Bob’s brother and sister-in-law back to see it after they flew in for Thanksgiving weekend. It worked out that we had a nice sunny day after they arrived so we journeyed back up to the mountain. Ralph and Carol live in Miami, and other than a few short trips out of state for Ralph, and a year he spent with us in Arizona, he hasn’t had a lot of opportunities to travel. Carol, however, has traveled extensively around the world - but not very much of her time, if any, has been spent in the rolling hills of the Carolina’s. We wanted to show them a little of the countryside and do some historical research also. We started in the museum and watched a short film (40) minutes about the Battle of King’s Mountain and the Revolutionary War, and then set off on the 1.5-mile loop of the Battlefield Trail. It was once again a nice and slightly breezy day, but almost all the vivid yellow leaves of just a week before were now gone. Fall is leaving, and winter is not far behind. The trail is made up of a spongy black material suitable for all hiking abilities and there were quite a few offshoots to locations of burials. As we walked along the path Bob filled Ralph in on some family history that Sara has been researching. It seems that their ancestors were from this area, and fought alongside some of the patriots that we had just learned about in the film.
Nature may have erased all the signs of the battle, but every step up the hill brought us closer to the past. As we got to the top where the main battle had taken place, we all just stopped to pause and reflect on the history that had transpired on this hallowed piece of ground.
Battle of Kings Mountain
Kings Mountain National Military Park
The walk out the drive to get to the cotton fields
South Carolina bound
After picking up Bob’s MEGA cab (he has missed his favorite ever truck) at the kids’ house, we started the two-day journey to McConnells’s in South Carolina. Lisa, Bob’s younger sister, and her husband Brad have an absolutely beautiful home on large acreage in the country and that will be our stop for the next couple of weeks. We have a family reunion set for the three siblings, with Ralph - the youngest - and his wife Carol coming up from Miami for a long weekend over Thanksgiving. Brad’s sister Wendy will also be joining us for a visit from Ohio, and it is always so nice to see her.
Back when we had the two businesses and Bob a full-time job, there wasn’t much time for lingering moments with family, just being in each other’s company with no words needed. Now that we have the freedom of time we are fortunate to be able to travel for these reunions. This is the fourth year in a row that all three siblings have been able to get together. The first was for packing up 50+ years of their parents’ home and history in Brunswick. It was an emotional time, but one that brought their bonds back together. The next year was the joyful wedding of our niece Greer and Jarrett, and then the following year for an early Thanksgiving with Sara and the boys being able to join us also. That year we also celebrated the upcoming arrival of Finnegan, Lisa and Brad’s 1st Grandchild and this year we got to enjoy his joyful personality and watch as the new parents, Greer and Jarrett, make their way down the ever-challenging path of parenthood. They are doing a wonderful job.
My days are spent as they always are here, enjoying the peace and quiet of this little part of the world. The pine trees sway in the wind and the cool days make for relaxing walks through the now cleared cotton fields. We are only here for a few days more, and I am anxiously awaiting getting back to the kids’ house in Belle Chasse. But for now, I am enjoying the peace and quiet - and the bonds of family.
Glencairn Gardens
One of my “go-to” places I always try to visit when at Lisa’s is Glencairn Gardens. What started as the backyard garden of David & Hazel Bigger in 1928 is now an 11-acre paradise located in the heart of Rock Hill, just a short drive from their country home into town. Last year I hit it at pretty much peak fall color and used it for a location shoot for Greer and Jarrett’s maternity pictures. This year the fall color was slightly past its prime, but it was still beautiful and as a gentle mist fell on my shoulders I protected my camera as best I could.
HOW COOL IS THIS??
This is the Children’s Garden at Glencairn. It is off to the east side, surrounded by a small lattice style fence and attached to their Victory Garden area. What a way to teach children where their food comes from. I only wish I had been as clever when we had The Flower Tree. I would have definitely put something in like this.
New Home
We managed to get out of the Boston airport before the ”Polar Plunge” arrived. Did get a nice long detour, but it still got us into New Orleans airport by late evening. The KIDS HAVE MOVED! Now stationed at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base in Belle Chasse, LA - they have purchased a beautiful house on a quiet street that will be their home for the next few years. This will be just a short quick visit, we are picking up our truck that they used to move and heading for Bob’s sisters house in South Carolina. Don’t worry - we will be back soon, and our visit will last most of December.
TONS OF PICS TO COME WHEN WE GET BACK
Bob on the veranda with his early morning coffee
West to East
This last month we have been traveling via planes, automobiles, and trucks - minus our home. We left the motor-home in storage in Arizona and hopped on a plane bound for points east. The first stop was my Aunt Sue’s home in Duxbury. As the younger sister to my Dad, we love visiting and hearing the stories of their youth. We had the added joy of getting to also visit with my cousin Gretchen, and her 8-year-old son, Beckett, who were visiting from Australia. While we missed the vibrant Fall colors by a couple of weeks, there was still plenty of beauty to be found.
Our days were spent beachcombing for the perfect shell and we even managed to pick up a brick..or two that will line the path of our home someday. Duxbury has a magic all its own, with historical references on every corner, a beautiful bay to walk along and hunt for treasures and a large expansive beach to enjoy a lingering sunset. My mind drifts often to the memories my Dad would share of spending his summers along its shoreline. Learning to sail and then racing the bay, tending a garden and enjoying the freedom of summer. I long for the stories that my Aunt Sue tells as she reminisces about their childhood - only wishing with all my heart that my Dad could still be with us to hear his laugh as he shares her memories. Pictures of their youth fill one wall in the room where I sleep, and as I gaze at them daily it brings a smile to my face and a joy to my heart.
We took a long, but beautiful drive to Connecticut to visit with our dear friend Jayne. Stationed together in Hawaii back in the late 70’s-to early ’80s, our daughters were born with a few months of each other and the bond is still very strong between us.
This year Aunt Sue didn’t have very many chores for Bob to do. He likes to be able to help - but he did manage to get the deck and stairs stained and ready for the long cold and wet winter days ahead. We had some great meals as usual, and Aunt Sue’s special Lemon Cake was waiting for us when we arrived. It didn’t last long. We are already looking forward to our visit next year.
Beckett and the clouds
The River House
Bears Ears National Monument
"Visit with Respect", those words were some of the first we read when we entered the Bears Ears Education Center to pick up some new maps on our way out to the National Monument. This NM encompasses a massive area and is the first national monument ever created at the request of a coalition of Native American tribes. It is also one of the most extensive archaeological areas on Earth. I won’t get into the politics of what our current administration is trying to do in/to the monument, you can do your own reading on the subject - but suffice to say that Bob and I have strong feelings about this spiritual place of the earth.
We traveled the back roads over the next week, the deep red sand filling our jeep and our shoes as we made our way across the sandstone slick-rock washes in search of petroglyphs, pictographs, and ancient structures. None were more impressive than another - so special in their own right were each.
Big Kachina Panel
One of the largest panels we have ever seen in person, it was along the San Juan River. Covering 100’s of feet, this segment is roughly 1/10 of the entire panel area.
Using the Sand Island Campground , just outside Bluff, UT as our home base, each day we ventured in a different direction. We quickly realized that the week that we had set aside for this area was not going to be enough, so we focused on the Butler Wash and Comb Ridge, a towering sandstone fin running nearly 50 miles from Bear Ears Buttes south into the Navajo Reservation across the San Juan River.
Our first day out we spent on the trail to The River House, an Ancestral Puebloan multi-room home with standing walls and kiva structures that dates from 900 - 1200s A.D. The road to get there was strictly 4wdrive and fortunately for us - Bob had the skills to get us there safely. The majority of people that see this structure, and the Kachina Panel a few miles away, come on guided tours up the San Juan river where they disembark and walk the 1/2 mile or so up to the structure. We ended up assisting two other cars that got stuck in the deep sand and they had to turn back, never reaching the site. The road going in also closely follows the path taken by the early Mormon settlers known as the “Hole in the Rock” road.
Once again, I use the words - “Nothing can quite prepare you for…”
When we finally made it through the softest and deepest part of the sand we climbed up over a large rocky hill that then dropped us down by the river. Another mile or so down the road and we looked up to our left and there was the River House. RIGHT THERE! No searching and missing the right canyon, as we had on other journeys. We got out of the jeep and slowly made our way towards the house, the large cottonwoods surrounding it were just starting to turn bright yellow and the only sounds we heard were the occasional bird or the rustling of the leaves in the wind. You can only stand in awe to realize that this structure has withstood over a thousand years of weather and human interaction. There was a short hike up to see inside, and steps had been put into place at some point to facilitate a safe climb. Over the next hour or so we walked around on the upper ledge, ventured into the small rooms and tried to think about what it must have been like for the people that came before us. The petroglyphs and pictographs were filled with sharp detail and you just have to wonder what the meanings of some are, as there really is no historical reference for many.
On down the road we arrived at the Kachina Panel, one of the largest we have ever seen in person. There was a large group that had come up from the river and we waited as they made their way around the area. Once they left we had the place to ourselves and the quiet overtook our senses. Pottery chards and small pieces of rocks that were used to make arrows - or tools - littered the ground. Each of us pointing to different pics trying to figure out what they might mean. Yucca plants, bighorn sheep, suns, snakes - some are of course easy to interpret. But then you get these large images that even your best guess will not be close, but it sure is fun trying.
Picnic down by the river, and then back out the deep sand road - I don’t think this area will quickly loose its way from our memories.
Monarch Cave, Bears Ears NM
