Sail EaglesWings - California Dreaming

  From Yukon to Carlsbad Caverns for 573 miles there is not much to see, at least that is how it felt to me.  We followed I40 west to Amarillo along the old Route 66 route and then turned south toward Lubbock. When Richard was about nine living  outside Amarillo ,  he watched the western sky darken before the sand blew so thick we couldn't see the road in front of our house. No sand today though, just the old sun beating heat down on us. Driving south of Lubbock through the Permian Basin  ( shaded pink area on map to left) seemed as if we were traversing an alien and desolate land. The Permian Basin is home to the oil, gas and mining industries.  We had reserved a room at the only motel in Whites City located at the entrance road to Carlsbad Caverns National Park.   Whites City consisting of a few tourist shops, an RV park and the motel is not a city at all. So we ordered Mexican food for dinner in Carlsbad to take with us. In the evening, we drove up...

  After three delightful days with Marcia and Roy, we hit the road for a long 916 mile stretch to Yukon, Oklahoma to visit Richard's brother.  Along the way we stopped to see the Gateway Arch in Saint Louis and then spent the night in a motel before passing through Joplin, Missouri. A short detour allowed to step into Kansas at Baxter Springs. We found there Route 66!    Along Route 66 in Baxter Springs No Longer a Soda Fountain - Now a Learning Center The next day we enjoyed barbeque in Oklahoma City with Bart and Nita. In the evening we dipped in the backyard pool at Ashely and Matts house.

 We jettisoned beach chairs, umbrellas and a cheap ice chest, added Michele's luggage before heading to Kalamazoo Michigan.  After an overnight stop at a cheap hotel in Beaver Falls, PA we dropped Michele off in Ann Abor before arriving Marcia's home. The next morning we followed her to her lake house in Decatur .   Restoring vintage automobiles is Roy's avocation. This morning we drove around town in Roy's restored 1930 Packard before visiting Stan and Pam and playing Euchre at their home. The Canadian wildfires are effecting the area - Air quality was smoky yesterday but rain and wind that blew the away. Today we drove to South Bend, Indiana to visit the Studebaker Car Museum , where we got to admire Roy's restored 1956 Golden Hawk that he donated to the museum. Also checked out the University of Notre Dame.

  Hi World We are moving to California saying goodbye to Punta Gorda Life.  More to come. We packed our car to the brim,  cleaned and closed down the condo that  Dennis and Bev had so graciously offered to us and headed out for our great American car trip on July 5th. The Interstate was sometimes stop and go with so many ending their July 4th holiday on the road.  After an overnight stop in South Carolina we arrived after 981 miles at Patriots Colony Point in Williamsburg. W e stayed at Sue and Rob's beautifully decorated apartment for three days. Molas that Sue has acquired from the Kuna people in the San Blas Islands adorned the walls. over Rob's computer desk, map pins marked all the islands they had visited while cruising the Eastern and Western Caribbean.    We enjoyed dinners at continual care complexes restaurant as Sue hasn't cooked a meal since moving into her apartment! We visited Jamestown Settlement one morning and the Yorktown Mus...