March 27, 2017

Today is the official start of our long planned camping trip across the country.  Andy and I left Belfast on March 15 and traveled to Northern Virginia where we visited friends and family, then made our way to State Road, NC to spend a week with our sister.

It was wonderful to see our loved ones; especially our sons Barrett and Tim and our sister Tricia.  Yesterday would have been my brother Mike’s 75th birthday.  We gathered to remember and celebrate him with good friends, good music, and good food.  It’s hard to accept that he is no longer with us, but his spirit lives on in the hearts of all who knew and loved him.

On the day that Mike graduated from high school (1960), he and his best friend Tommy set out to travel across the country.  They planned to find their fame and fortune in California.  They were gone several weeks and came back without fame or fortune, (our Dad having to wire them gas money) but they did bring tales of far off and mysterious places.  I was 5 years old, and had never traveled more than a few hundred miles from home.  Mike described things I couldn’t imagine; the big skies out west, painted deserts and petrified forests…that was the beginning of my dream to see this country and visit places I have only heard or read about.  Thankfully, Andy is up for the adventure!!  Stay tuned for future installments as we set out to see new places, make new friends, and discover the beauty of America’s national parks. If you would like to travel with us, sign up to follow this blog, or check in from time to time for new posts.