Still On Vacation

Just on a whim, last minute, spontaneous, or whatever you want to call it, we decided to go visit our daughter today in Minneapolis. Just as we were approaching the Twin Cities, the sky opened up, and the rain came down hard and heavy. This rain theme is getting really, really old. Luckily the sun did appear later in the afternoon, so we ventured out to the big REI sale, then dinner out and a quick trip over to the Minnehaha parkway. The blooming crab trees were beautiful.

The flower pedals covered the whole trail....so beautiful.

Artena & Tim

It was so nice to spend some time with our daughters roommate and her boyfriend. Artena really wanted to show us the creek and the beautiful trees blooming. I made a promise that we would come back with our bicycles when Bike man is feeling better. Right now our first priority is to help our son and his girlfriend move to St. Paul next week. I'll blog about that later next week.

Back To Everyday Life

After being gone for ten days, it was nice to come back to a yard blooming with tulips. All the vibrant colors just make you smile.

Is this a great color or what? I love flowers, they just boost your mental mood. Speaking of mood, I'm slowly coming down from my traveling high. Four straight days on the road tuckered me out.....Bike man too. Both of us spent the day unpacking, putting things away, going through a big crate of mail, and loads of laundry. Looks like another weekend of rain and possible storms. Cycling doesn't look promising this weekend. Honestly, I'm considering going back to running as a form of exercise....yikes, that's bad! Please someone, slap me......

Finally Home

Finally home....welcomed by a little cheese!

Smoky Mountains

Drove the Smoky Mountain Blue Ridge Parkway early this morning. Felt like we were back home with temperatures in the upper 40's. Stopped to take a photo of this waterfall and froze my....off!

The streams were plentiful through the Smoky Mountains.


Elevation ranged from 5,000 to over 6,000 ft.

Driving through the Smoky Mountains was beautiful....kind of reminded me of driving through Glacier National Park, only on a much smaller scale. Traffic and tourists were at a minimum today and can't imagine what it's like during peak tourist season. Saw two cyclists today in the mountains, which sparked our desire to come back some day and cycle the Smoky Mtns. in the future.....wouldn't that be fun?

Road construction has started early in this part of the country, so lots of delays and lots of traffic. Traffic gets old, really old! After heading into Kentucky this afternoon, Bike man and I just kept driving. We are beyond sightseeing now so our goal is to head home. We've had three days of rain and cool conditions, so we are ready to aim for home sweet home.

Staying overnight in Indianapolis, Indiana.

South Carolina

I think we stepped back in time today after visiting Charleston, South Carolina. I absolutely feel in love with this historic city. I ended up taking photo after photo of the historic houses that were built back in the 1700's. When you come to Charleston, you really need several days to take in the whole city and learn about the Confederate battles that took place during the Civil war. There's so much history to Charleston and you really sense that when you drive around the "old" part of the city.

Another reason why we stopped by Charleston was to visit the Center for Coastal Environmental Health and Biomolecular Research, which is also on the same grounds at the South Carolina DNR center. Since Bike man is a volunteer for lake monitoring, he spends the whole summer identifying cyanobacteria....otherwise known as blue green algae! Today, we were treated to a tour of the whole research facility where Biologists research toxic bacteria (organisms) from around the world. So cool!

After our tour, Bike man and I headed out to Folly beach. I made a couple sandwiches that we could take with us and just enjoy the sun, beach, water etc. Well, have you ever tried to sit on the beach with a 20 mph constant wind, blowing sand in your face, and mouth? My sandwich turned out gritty!!!! Both of us were completely covered in fine-grain sand. I think we only spent about an hour on the beach today and then travel on.

Since leaving Jacksonville, we've had two days of spotty showers and cool temps so we are moteling it again tonight. As of tonight, we've made it to Spartanburg, South Carolina. Tomorrow, we should be in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina.

So Beautiful

I'm almost feel guilty posting these photos after watching the cool temps back home, but don't worry because these warm summer days are headed north....trust me! The following pics are from yesterday's beautiful afternoon at Ponte Vedre beach in Jax.

We were all getting ready for some serious shark teeth hunting! I have to say my brother-in-law has mastered the art of finding shark teeth over the years. Me, I just look for the pretty little shells!

The beach really is a great place to relax and catch up on reading.

I couldn't resist getting wet....the waves were great! Next time I just have to remember to keep my mouth closed when the big waves hits my face.

Saw lots of dead jelly fish.

Had time to just chill and enjoy the end of the day. I meant to post photos of the wedding, but I'll wait until later. Currently, we are packing up and will leave soon to take Becca to the airport. We are headed north in the Carolina's and will be spending the night camping on some island off the coast. Bike man use to live in the Carolina's so this will be a nice reminisce trip back to his Marine Corps days. Probably won't be blogging much now over the next few days as we will be camping each day as we head back to Wisconsin. So far it's been a wonderful trip and I'm sad to leave my big sister and her hubby. Our wheels are turning already and sis and I are trying to figure out an excuse for next year to get together and celebrate....celebrate something!!!!!!!

PS. Thanks Baba