IT's the end of the line...for now...

I spent Valentines Day being in love with two items...the road and Go Buggy!  I am such a lucky gal! 

I usually entertain myself with the radio and was quite successful finding my favorite kind of music...Classic Rock.  I shifted from one station to the next all the way home.  It was fairly effortless.  One market area rolled into the next.  A few times I couldn't find what I liked so I listened to Hemingway's, "The Sun Also Rises" on audio...read by William Hurt.  Very good.  I enjoyed it.  This was the last leg of my trip and I expected to be home in about 12 hours.  I didn't want to go into the LA basin and deal with all that traffic mess. 

I was on the road at 7:30AM.  Big hugs to my sister friend along with a, "See you next month!"  I took 303 North to Prescott- hung a left and picked up Hgwy 40 outside of Prescott!  Then caught California 99 north.   There were a few other smaller highways but that was basically it.  Before leaving Arizona I decided to indulge myself at the Road Kill Cafe - on a piece of Historic Route 66 on now Hgwy 40....totally cool!  Small town wonderful, road side diner taste!    Yeah, I bought a T-shirt.  I love buying t-shirts.  They are fun.  And I'm a blue jean and t-shirt kind of gal! 

I know there are faster ways home but I wanted to take a route I hadn't taken yet.  You know...the road less traveled.  I've driven to Arizona many times and I just wanted to drive a different  route.  I wasn't sure how Go Buggy would handle the mountains although by this point in my trip I was fairly certain Go Buggy would do just fine.  I wanted to explore something different.

As proven earlier in my trip...."Road Work Ahead" was the motto turning a 12 hour trip into a 16 hour ordeal....that's right, 16 hours.  Detours, traffic slow downs, 4 lanes into one....ugh!  I got home around midnight.  I loved  my road trip but it felt good to be home and I was tired.

So if you ever want some company driving across country...I've got some experience with the lower half of the lower 48...LOL!

This installment ends our first adventure.  But next month, Go Buggy and Driver take off to Phoenix once again where yours truly will attend the Eric Clapton concert with her sister friend of many years.  This is a very big deal for anyone who is remotely familiar with the 70's (and 80's and 90's) music.  My son even knows who "Slow Hand" is.  As he pointed out to me it's hard not to when you have me for a mother!  I think that's a compliment?

Until the next adventure Go Buggy and Driver remain ready to jet at a moments notice...but mostly we just like the experience along the way.  Life is full of wonder.

Have a wonderful day and may all your travels be blessed.
Just go.

It takes forever to get out of Texas...

I was hesitant to end my visit, but as we all know...duty calls.  And until my time is my own I had to leave Texas and continue my journey home.  I must admit I was not looking forward to this part of my journey.  I have driven it before and it is a very long and lonesome drive.  But, on the bright side, I had music (I must always have music...ALWAYS), an audio book that I had been listening to, off and on, when I had no radio reception, and my CDs...well, I didn't bring enough so I had grown tired of listening to them.  Ahead of me was 700 miles of nothing...nothing, zip, zero, nada!

I got out of Houston like a heard of turtles!  I mean, I didn't leave until 9:30.  I didn't want to deal with commuter traffic in San Antonio which is about 3 to 4 hours from Houston.  So I just left later.   Texas is about as wide as California is long...it takes forever to drive through Texas....forever!  My next stop....Buckeye Arizona, about 40 miles west of Phoenix.  One of my long time friends lives there and I thought a short visit would be great!  But first...I had to get out of Texas.  I started on Interstate 10 back in Tallahassee, Florida.   I-10 swings down into Houston and curves up to Phoenix.  I was hoping to make it to the west Texas town of El Paso (I can hear Marty Robbins singing now) before I needed to sleep.

One of the great benefits of driving (or taking the train) is one is surrounded by ones own solitude which allows one to take pause and contemplate the circumstances of ones life.  The result of this experience can be very enlightening and in my case extremely comforting.  It's joyful to realize the life I've built for myself is delightful, joyful, and so very blessed.  I know that luck does play a part in it and I have been so very, very lucky.  Sigh...

Outside of San Antonio there appears a most wonderful sign...it says, speed limit 80 mph.  That's right....80 mph!  Did I go 80 mph?  You bet your boots I did!  Go Buggy tops out at 83 mph.  She is governed.  Poor baby.  It's like being neutered!  So we rolled on down the highway and the wind started blowing and the rig started rocking and I thought....well hell, just because it says I can go 80 mph doesn't mean I have to. So I dropped it down to 75 mph.  It was most wonderful.  Go Buggy just settled into it and glided down the highway.  Heavenly....simply heavenly.

I made it to El Paso and decided to pull over at a local rest stop.  Now I know there are many opinions about camping at rest stops...many think it's too dangerous.  Well, I think it's no more dangerous than camping any other place.  Danger is everywhere and we have to watch out for ourselves.  Besides, I don't camp at rest stops. . . . I rest at rest stops.  That's what they are for....resting.  So I pulled over and slipped into a small spot between rig 7 and 8 of about 17 big rigs and several other motor-homes...all doing the same thing....resting.  It only takes about 15 minutes to put the Go Buggy to bed...with me locked in it.  Safe and secure...doors and windows locked.  Slept like a baby!

I woke up at 4:30AM and was wide awake.  Ahead of me was Las Cruses, New Mexico.  New Mexico is a beautiful state.  I watched the sun come up over the desert horizon...most excellent!   It wasn't my first desert sunrise.  I spent three of the hottest years of my life in Phoenix, Arizona.

There is nothing like a desert sunrise, especially in the winter.  The Sonoran desert is very cold in the winter...very cold and the roads are icy and the sun glitters off the icy crystals that float on the tips of the cactus needles.  One of the tiniest owls in the world makes it's home inside the Saguaro Cactus.  It's about as big as a hummingbird.  They are very difficult to find or to see.  But the cutest little critters I've ever seen!

The drive was uneventful.  I like that...uneventful is good.  I wasn't sure exactly when I would roll into Buckeye as road work all along the highway kept me at bay.  It seems I was plagued by road work on this trip.

I did however stop to see "The Thing".   I first saw the bill board for "The Thing" when I was 13 years old.  I've made the road trip from San Antonio to the bay area many times over the years as my mother is from San Antonio.  So we made trips to Texas to visit my aunt and cousins.  There are bill boards to see "The Thing" all along I-10.  In Arizona at exit 322...visit "The Thing".  So I thought I'm gonna check it out.  I want to see "The Thing".  I've been wondering about it since I was 13 years old and today the wondering is over!  I felt very empowered don't you know.  LOL!  So I paid a buck and went to see "The Thing".  (CHECK)  Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt.  No really.  I'm serious, I bought a T-shirt.  Guess what it says?   Yup...."The Thing".  LOL!

As luck would have it, I rolled into Buckeye about 2:30PM.  Which was very nice because I could relax and spend some time visiting.  I was nearing the end of my road trip and I was needing to rest.  As you might imagine it's always wonderful to visit with a long time friend and getting caught up on each other lives.  this friend and I have known each other since I was 14 years old.  This friend and I will be seeing each other next month to see Eric Clapton...11th row, center stage!  We are so excited!  That's one more item off my bucket list!  Yippee!

I rested that evening and spent the next day sleeping; visiting an RV Center and getting my propane tank refilled.  WOW...propane is expensive, $3.04 per gallon.  Good thing I only needed 9 gallons.  I really didn't know exactly how much it should be...but for some reason I wasn't expecting 3.04 per gallon.  So I paid the man and left.

Tomorrow will be my last installment for this trip.  And then, what will we talk about?

I hope your day is wonderful and your travels are blessed.
Just go.

I've gotten two more submissions to name Go Buggy...I put them in the hopper.  Somebody is gonna get a Starbucks Gift Card.  You know you love that!

My Brother, the motorcycle club and me

I rolled into Houston about 8:30 on Thursday night.  My brother, Clayton,  wasn't expecting me until Friday, sooooo...SURPRISE!   It was nice to have quiet time, just my sister in law, Ginger,  Clayton and me.  We don't get to visit often enough and the time we do get is shared with the motorcycle club.  So I spent Friday, Saturday, and Sunday hanging out in Houston.

It's always great to visit Clayton and Ginger.  Clayton  is a Harley Davidson guy (retired motorcycle cop) and he keeps a Harley household...bikes, motorcycle club, and lots of club members.  It's great when I get into town and I'm greeted by lots of well intentioned people ready to celebrate my arrival.  Actually, they are always ready to celebrate for any reason and my arrival is as good a reason as any!  So the garage door is opened, Friday night is date night and the fun  begins with lots of  food and drink.  Everyone who stops by brings something so there are many treats and we all enjoy the evening and each others company while getting caught up since my last visit.  Grand children have arrived, others have married, kids have left home, some graduated college, others are now empty nesters (yippee!), and still others have welcomed grown children back home....to everything there is a season....turn, turn, turn.

There is talk of the coming week end events and bravado all around.  Large talk but genuine, fun loving people who have known each other for years.  I take my teasing as I am a good sport and as long as I can tease back...I'm good!  I can dish it out as well as I can take it.  But beware...these folks are professionals! 

Clayton talks about me moving to Houston so the conversation evolves around, "When you retire and move to Houston, there is this really great little house that would be perfect for you..."  Yadda, yadda, yadda.  I laugh as I have absolutely no intention of moving to Houston.  But we love to play this game.  It makes us laugh and Ginger just clicks her tongue and shrugs.  So during the weekend, folks stop by to look at my Go Buggy and I try to answer technical questions about its operation.  There is always club business to discuss so the conversation keeps moving in preparation for the district meeting on Saturday.  All went well.

Sunday was quiet and we napped, cooked, ate and talked.  Mostly Clayton teased me as brothers do and Ginger and I just look at each other and roll our eyes...LOL!  We tried a new place for breakfast and lazily napped the afternoon away.   I knew I had to leave in the morning and I could not stay an extra day or two which would have been most welcome but not possible on this trip.

Well, stay tuned to the next installment in which yours truly bravely charges forward while taking on Highway 10 out of Texas...it takes f o r e v e r  to get out of Texas....LOL!  I can hear Marty Robbins singing now.....

I hope your day is wonderful and your travels are blessed.
Just go!

Oh, by the way, I got another submission for Go Buggys' name....Miles...kind of snappy.   It's in the hopper!  So far I've got three submissions.

Finally...Hemingways' Estate and the cats!

Where yours truly finally gets to visit Ernie's place and see the cats!

I was up bright and early on Wednesday morning to get a good parking spot in front of Ernie's place.  The museum opened at 9AM so I had plenty of time to find a parking spot and get some breakfast.  As soon as I finished the tour I planned to hit the road and head toward Houston.  I wanted to get to Tallahassee by nightfall.

I found a parking spot around the block from the museum.  Ernie's house is on a very large lot and the blocks are really large.  A lot of people use Vespa's to get around.  They are parked in rows all along the road.  I got a good parking spot and paid for three hours....next to a Vespa!

There are chickens roaming all over the island.  I found a Denny's decorated in a Classic 1950s style.  While I was there I asked the waitress what was up with the chickens.  You know, if you want to know anything about anything...ask the local restaurant server...they usually know the details.

She said, "My mom is a 5th generation islander and she told me none of these chickens were here when she was growing up.  There were lots of cock fights in the 1960's and all the chickens were brought down from the mainland.  When the authorities cracked down on the gambling the birds were released to run wild.  Over the years folks collected them and sent them to a shelter but there were too many of them and the shelter was over run.   So the chickens were left to roam the island."
"So how do you control the chicken population?"  I asked.  She just looked at me and shrugged, "I don't know?"  As you walk around the island the chickens strut around everywhere.  I finished my breakfast and walked to Ernie's place, counting chickens along the way.

This estate is where he wrote the majority of his great fiction novels, "For Whom the Bell Tolls" "Farewell to Arms", "The Old Man and the Sea"...just to name a few.  He lived in Key West for 10 years during his 30's.  This was the most prolific period of his life.  The estate was sold after he died.  But the woman who bought it allowed people to tour it and she moved to the studio in the back allowing people to tour the main house.  The rest is history.

Hemingway as he was when he lived in Key West.

The tour guide met us at the front of the estate.  He was animated and interesting and really knew his literature...especially Hemingway's novels as well as his short stories (and poetry which isn't very good...believe it or not).  Most folks remember Hemingway as a white bearded man, toward the end of his life...but when he lived in Key West, he was youthful and vibrant.  He fished marlin and still holds the record for catching the most in one day...five...all over 400 lbs!  If you are a Hemingway fan (such as I) then you know he was a "man's man" and very popular writer for his time.  He hunted, fished, went on Safari.  He was primal and writing was his passion.  When asked, "Do you remember when you wanted to become a writer?"  His response was a stoic, "No, I have no memory of ever wanting anything else."  He was direct, complicated and well read. 

The cats roam all over the estate and the gift center.  There are 47 cats maintained by the estate,  many of them have 6 toes.  The cats jump on the furniture, roam through the gift shop, and keep the chickens off the property!  All the cats have been 'fixed' and only one male and two females are allowed to mate in order to maintain the population.  All the cats are named after famous people.

The entrance to the cat house! 

Yes, my name is Liz Taylor...what's your point?

One of the many resident felines!

Look closely at the right paw.  Almost looks like a club foot.

The original polydactyle pawed cat was a gift from a boat captain to Ernest's son.  This type of cat is considered good luck on a ship and Ernest was superstitious so he liked the idea of having the cat around the house and keeping its offspring.  All the cats are direct descendants of that cat.  I talked with the tour guide about the chickens.  He smiled and asked, "Do you see any chickens on the property?"  Well, OK then.  The cats don't wonder very far and the chickens don't cross the road...LOL! 

The tour lasted an hour and then I went to the gift shop where they have the usual stuff....you know, cups, glasses, cat dishes (LOL), books, and T-shirts....and cats!  I really enjoyed this tour.

Cat resting on the bottom book shelf.

I'm not fat, I'm fluffy.  Cat nap!

Buy the book...but not the one I'm on!

The Captains cat..gifted to the younger of Hemingway's two sons.

I got on the road at 11AM.  Now, I thought I'd be cruzing along at a reasonable speed.  However, my idea of  'reasonable' was not shared by the folks in the lower Keys.  Nope, it was not.  Nobody speeds on the lower Keys...nobody.  I swear, everyone is on massive doses of Vitamin B...everyone.  Nobody drives faster than 45 mph!  There is a lot of construction going on along the highway AND they were filming commercials along the 7 Mile Bridge.  It took me 6 hours to go 120 miles!  Ugh!  And that got me to Miami.  I still had to travel up Florida and into the panhandle to Tallahassee.  It took forever to get out of that state! 

Once I got to Miami I got on the accelerator and actually drove 65 mph...to Tallahassee!

A little about RV lingo....a Class A RV is a long bus like mobile home.  A Class C RV is a camper that is not separate from the motorized part of the the truck and is longer than a typical pick up truck with a camper.  A Class B RV is a van conversion.  Usually not longer than 19.5 ft.   I have a Class B...a most excellent Class B...(smile)...Go Buggy. 

I slept at a rest stop between two big rigs and surrounded by three Class A RVs and one Class C.   I woke up after 6 hours...fully rested.  It was 4AM....so I thought,  "I've got to get out of Florida!"  I hit the road and was out of Florida by 9AM!  Yippee!  I zipped through Alabama, Louisiana and rolled into Texas.  My destination was Houston to visit my brother, Clayton and sister in law Ginger.  Houston was also my halfway mark on this trip.  I arrived in Houston on Thursday evening about 8:30.   Ahhhhh, life is good.

Look forward to tomorrows installment.

I hope your day is wonderful and your travels are blessed.
Just go! 

Go Buggy and Driver make it to Key West...finally!

Tuesday

I was up bright and early Tuesday AM and on the road by 7:30.  It was a beautiful day.  I drove into Miami and was taken by how sunny it is and very scenic.  I got lost for two hours in Miami.  It is the most fabulous place to get lost!  No really, it is!  Just fabulous...there is so much to see.  There was a lot of highway construction so I was detoured and re-routed a lot and my GPS had a hard time keeping up with it...I finally turned it off...it got on my nerves. I wound up driving in a huge circle.  I looked ahead of me and thought, "Hey, I've seen this before."  And then it dawned on me.  Oh hell...I've driven in a huge circle!  That just isn't right!   I decided that the very least I could do was drive down the Historic Art Deco District.
I heard echos of the Miami Vice Theme music in my head as I drove along...too funny.

Cool, really cool!

All the palm trees are in Miami...well, there are few in California!

I expect to see Al Capone any minute!

A bunch of tourists!

Beautiful building!

I finally found my way to the highway that lead to Key West.  I'm thinking, "OK then...we are on it."  Ahhh, that feeling was short lived.  The scenic horizon...ahead of me is minimal at best.  You see, all the really great scenic shots are used on TV.  It seems 90% of the drive to Key West is road and shrubs and bushes.  The beautiful ocean view is on the other side of the shrubs and bushes and not viewable from the road.  I've been hood winked!  But I am not daunted!  My goal is Key West.  Onward, tally-hoe and all that rot!  I'm going to Key West and visit Ernest Hemingways house with the polydactyle pawed cats...6 toes. 

7 Mile Bridge

There are bridges connecting each island key and the scenic view from there is great.  One bridge, 7 Mile Bridge, is commonly scene on TV.  More on that later.

The attitude on the keys is "chill out".  I drove through Key Largo...looks a lot like any other seaside town along the coast of California.  Each island has a name and it's own claim to fame. I was anticipating cruzing along the highway...at a speed commisserate to my own lead foot.  Ah, that is a negative.  Nobody, and I mean NOBODY is in a hurry in the keys.  Never went over 45 mph.  So needless to say, I didn't make it to Key West until 6:30PM.  Ernest's place closed at 5PM...so my schedule was pushed back, again, for another 12 hours. 

I decided to make the best of the evening. 

It only takes about 45 minutes to drive around the island of Key West.  So I found a parking spot, payed for 2 1/2 hours of parking and started walking.  I really needed the walk.  I'd been driving all day and my ankles had started to collect water.  Man I really hate fat ankes.  I used to have an Aunt and she always had fat ankles.  I used to look at them and see my fate...ugh!  Anyway...I walked to the water and found the southern most part of the island.  Just 90 miles away from Cuba!  Of course I took a picture of the marker and bought a post card. 

Southern Most Point - Wave at Cuba - 90 miles away

I'm big on buying post cards.  Quick, easy, cheap...usually the pictures are much nicer than I take; they travel and store very well and are easy to mail.  I love post cards. 

I ate at the Southern Most Restaurant, drank at the Southern Most Bar and returned to my RV seven minutes before my time ran out.  I drove to the west side of the island and found another parking space. Paid for 3 hours and started walking...my ankles not withstanding!  The old part of Key West is filled with wonderfully old dated buildings and businesses to match.  Stores, bars, clubs and restaurants abound.  Lots of places to eat, drink, and be merry! Cute novelty shops.  It wasn't very crowded with tourists but I later heard from several shop keepers that the season is just beginning.  I found Hemingways place so I would know where it was the next morning.

Ernie!  I didn't think I'd ever get here!

 I was hoping to find a place to park for the night but all the RV parks are taken up with snowbirds.  I headed to several local hotels and the prices were well over $295.00 per night.  Ahhhh,  I'm thinking I'll head to the other end of the island and hopefully prices will be more reasonable.  I stopped in a local park where I saw about 7 Class B RVs and folks gathered around playing cards.  I pulled up and come to find out...they were retired from Canada...hanging out in the Park.  They all had very thick French accents.  At first I thought they were Cajun.  They told me most of the RV space was taken up with snowbirds and I would do well to get a hotel room.  Well, OK then...I'm off to get some sleep.  It was already 10PM and I was tired.  I wound up at the local Travel Lodge...$180.00 bucks...to sleep!  OUCH!  Well, what are ya gonna do?

I've got more stories to post tomorrow...stay tuned!  I finally get to tell you about the cats and touring the Hemingway home.

I hope your day is wonderful and your travels are blessed.
Just go! 

Go Buggy and Driver - Getting to Know Each Other

Greetings!
Well, I'm still in Gainnesville, Florida.  I haven't gotten out of the dealership yet.  But very soon I'll be on the road.
Here we go... 

After I collected my RV...I checked the gas tank.  One quarter tank in a 26 gallon tank.  I need to find petrol.  It's my first fill up and it's diesel.  Oh fun.  As luck would have it, there was a filling station at the end of the block so I swung in and began to learn about my RV. 

The gas cap is located behind a small swing out panel that is located inside the driver side door.  Yeah, I know, pretty cool, huh?  In order to fill the tank the driver side door must be open...there is no other way to access the gas cap.  I love that!  So I filled up with 3.96 per gallon diesel, and $86.00 later...gulp...I was on the road. 

A dear friend of mine (I have many dear friends, who don't like me using their names in my blog so they remain anonymous...I'm so lucky) who is well traveled; cautioned me to be vigilant about gas stations because sometimes it's hard to find diesel fuel. So I constantly monitored my fuel consumption, which was surprisingly efficient, and filled up at 1/2 tank intervals so in case I hit a dry spot I would have enough to get to the next opportunity. 

I am happy to report that along Highway 10 there are plenty of diesel fuel stations.  Even most of the Chevron Stations had a diesel pump...yippee!  I could use my favorite fuel.  There was plenty of fuel available for Go-Buggy!

I left Gainnesville and headed south to Miami, Florida.  Most of the time I monitored my vehicle to learn how it handled and operated.  I set my GPS using my I-Phone and my hand less device.  So it voiced directions to me as I drove.  Kind of like a Garmin or Tom Tom.  Pretty cool, huh?  Great fun. 

I motivated down the highway, paying toll as I went.  At one point I was able to collect a ticket and just drive down the toll road. We call them free ways...but this free way wasn't free...fun and scenic, but not free!  When I exited the road the toll both operator informed me I owed $15.75 for driving 120 miles on that road....hmmmm.  Pricey ride.  But necessary to get to Miami. 

I wanted to get to Key West Monday night.  Well, I soon discovered that I had grossly over extended my agenda.  I made good time but I was no where near Key West.  Hell, I wasn't even close to Miami.  Once you get to Miami, it's still another 120 miles to Key West. 

I spent the night in Baca Raton.  It's a huge city/superb with an exotic name and funky WalMart. 

In the RV world it is common knowledge that many WalMarts allow RV'rs to stay in the parking lot.  And a lot of them do.  So I pulled into the Walmart and did a drive around.  Then I parked and went into the store.  It didn't look well kept.  It really didn't.  The neighborhood looked...OK, but I wasn't feeling all warm and fuzzy about staying there.  I parked at the far end of the parking lot and watched a guy watch my rig for about 30 minutes.  Then my internal voice said, "Don't stay here.  It's not safe.  Find a hotel."   So I did. 

I found a La Quinta close by and they had a room.  I experienced my first, "Oh hell, my rig won't fit under the hotel entry turn around."  I had to park in the lot and walk in. I got the last room they had which was next to equipment that constantly hummed and buzzed most of the night.  I can sleep through jack hammers...movement bothers me, not noise.  I posted on Facebook that night from the La Quinta Hotel in Boca Raton and promptly fell asleep. I had flown all of Sunday night and didn't sleep well...movement...I arrived in Gainnesville at 10AM their time...picked up my RV and driven it to Boca Raton.  It was 11:30PM and I was exhausted.  Time for sleepy town....zzzzzzzzzzz.

Tomorrow I get to Miami...finally!  I'll post some interesting pictures, too.

I hope your day is wonderful and your travels are blessed.
Just go! 

LaDonna's Great Adventure

Greetings Earthlings!

I've returned from what my very dear friend calls, "LaDonna's Great Adventure".  As some of you know, I went to Gainnesville, Florida to pick up my small RV.  I purchased a 19.5 ft Road Trek, SS Agile from a large dealership specializing in Class B RVs.  My plan was to fly there, get my RV, I call a Go-Buggy...and drive back.  But then I thought, wait a minute...I've always wanted to drive the Florida Keys.  Sooooo, since I'm in Florida, I'll drive the Keys, go to Key West, visit Ernest Hemingway's house, visit the polydactyl pawed cats (6 toes) and come home.

This seemed a perfectly do-able idea in my mind...however, as I prepared for my adventure...I experienced a few technical difficulties.  I wanted to use my I-Phone (1st gen) as a hot spot for my I-Pad.  That way I could post the progress of my trip along the way. 

So I went to the AT&T store to begin my preparation. 
I discovered I am not able to use my 1st Gen I-Phone to "tether" to my I-Pad...nope, won't do it.  I have to use a 4.0 or 4.5...or whatever it is.  So I had to upgrade my I-Phone, which I wasn't prepared to do (mentally) and that meant a new service plan...ugh!  I just hate having to pledge my allegiance to a service plan for two years.  Its awful!  It's like I'm serving time for a phone crime and I've been sentenced to two years.  Yuck!  OK...I'm done.

 So, I worked with the AT&T phone tech/sales person for about two hours setting up my new phone and connecting to my I-Pad. I figured I better use their time while I had it because once I completed the sale...I'd be toast.  And I am delighted to report that everything worked great while I was in the store.  I bought a hands free answering device; the carrying case for my phone...fortified with bounce technology (I drop my phone all the time so this was protection I had to have; and a peel and stick protective covering for my I-Pad.  I felt totally prepared to "Post on the Road". 

To make a long story short...my super-duper, I've got this under control plan...didn't work. NOPE, NADA, NINE!  The only thing I could use was my phone and IM.  Nothing else worked.  I had to be in a free WI-FI area to get on line. That's OK if I'm staying in a hotel...however, I only stayed in a hotel the first two mights of my trip.  The rest of the time I stayed in my RV answering IMs.  I didn't have the access I wanted to my e-mail accounts so I had to depend on my cell phone and IMs.

I know Starbucks offers free WI-FI and sometimes I could locate a Starbucks but many times I could not and it took more time to locate a Starbucks than I wanted to spend.  I needed driving time...so hunting for Starbucks was not on the agenda.

Many, many thanks to all of my dear, dear, dear friends who were worried about me and kept texting me along the road to make sure I was OK.  Thank you all so much.  And many thanks to those of you who called me to make sure I was OK.  You know who you are and I am so very grateful to have you in my life and for your care and concern.  So very grateful.  You guys and gals are the best!  I love you, every one!  Am I lucky or what!

I'm thinking of a name for the Go Buggy.  Maybe you can help?  Send me a suggestion for a name.  I'll consider it.  I'm offering a gift certificate to Starbucks.  Now who wouldn't like that!   Send in your submissions!  I'll post them and announce the winner.  My submission...Sweet Hitch Hiker (my favorite CCR tune).   Someone told me that they thought it was too...suggestive.  They weren't sure what it suggested but...why borrow trouble.  I agree, I certainly don't want to borrow trouble on the road, but I like it.  Let me know what you think?



I'll post more about Go Buggy's trip over the next few days.  This is just the beginning! 

Hope your day is fantastic and your travels are blessed!  
Just go!