The end of one journey, and the beginning of another.....

After a long trip home from northern Minnesota, just 40 miles from the Canadian border, we parked the RV in our yard on Saturday, September 25, 2010. After an injury to his back, while playing golf in North Carolina, Bob had driven with a heating pad at his back as well as frequent stops to lie on the sofa and rest. Little did we know that his back injury was just a precursor to what lay ahead and had little, or nothing, to do with golf!

The following week, we made several visits to our Primary Care Physician. A referral to an oncologist, on October 7, 2010, resulted in a diagnosis of Multiple Myeloma. Myeloma is an incurable cancer of the plasma cells in the bone marrow. The "ups and downs" of his illness is recorded on our blog  Our Journey With Multple Myeloma.

Bob has responded well to chemotherapy, and after six cycles has been able to take a break. We're back "on the road, again".  We recently enjoyed a trip to the Outer Banks of North Carolina, and are now getting our "rolling motel" ready for another trip to a campground in the beautiful mountains of Virginia - near the Blue Ridge Parkway.

I'm sure the cool, fresh mountain air will do wonders both physically and emotionally. Not too many months ago, we weren't sure he'd be able to take more trips, but the man is a survivor!!

Wind Farms, Cornfields, and finally, the cottonfields back home........

Earlier in the week, we rode out of Minnesota and across into the farm lands of Iowa. Northern Iowa has become the Midwest Wind Farm Belt with hundreds of the tall, wind turbines dotted across the farmland. Development companies set up meterological towers that determine wind velocity, for one year, as well as to determine the placement of the turbines. Farmers are paid from $5,000 - $7,000 for one-quarter acre piece of land. Once the tubines are placed, the land can go back into cultivation. Each turbine is from 200 - 300 feet tall and can provide electricity for thousands of homes.

                                                                                            

The tall turbines tower over the trees.

       The clouds hung low, and the big arms turned rapidly in the wind. These turbines, sit in the middle of this northern Iowa cornfield.

    The fields, of Iowa corn stretched endlessly, along the Interstate, over the rolling hills.

     Iowa, where the tall corn grows, has been the top producer of corn for the past 14 years. 

        In Missouri, we saw our first cottonfield - reminding us of our own home state. 

As we head south out of Tennessee, down I-55 toward Jackson ....and home.....we see that some of our own hardwood trees have begun to lose their shades of green and have hues of gold and some red. The weather is warmer (much) than what we left behind. 

We'll be glad to park this vehicle in our own yard, for awhile. We hope you've enjoyed traveling with us, looking at the photos and have also learned a little history as we've gone along. How fortunate we are to live in this beautiful land........the USA.

Until next trip...................    

The winds were howling yesterday, as usual, and the canopy on the RV looked as if it would blow away. Honey made an "Executive decision" to bring it down before Mother Nature took care of it, for us! Being the self-designated backseat driver, does not mean that my instructions are limited to a moving vehicle.....I find that I can instruct at any time! I think honey was actually glad to have my assistance - it's no mean feat to get the darned thing rolled back up, and locked in place, and with the wind blowing 90 to nothing, you almost wish you didn't have a canopy! And, had we not put it up .....we probably wouldn't have had one for long.

We decided to try another "Fall Color" drive, and I was hoping we might even see a Moose somewhere among the trees and underbrush. There are Moose crossing signs on almost every road, 'Moose viewing area signs', and Moose observation platforms ....but we've had no luck. We've seen every other wild animal, possible .....wolf, fox, deer, and black bear....all on a public highway, but no moose. I laughingly told honey maybe we should just go park on a highway, and wait for a moose to come along....since they don't seem to be where the signs say they are.

The Fall Color routes begin with paved roads, but the pavement ends very quickly, and one finds oneself on gravel or dirt. On this road, the branches of the trees seemed to reach out to one another and formed a beautiful canopy. And, scattered down these dirt roads were homes - most with firewood already stacked in place, ready for the winter.

Signs like these, warning of a 'Sled Dog Crossing' are frequent, along the backroads. There were trails thru the woods, with noticeable ruts, on either side of the road.

 This was probably the cutest sign we saw and was understandable, in any language!

Just across the Canadian border we saw several gaggles of geese, as if they were convening, in preparation for a flight south ....soon. (And, who could blame them!)

Had they been just a little larger, and the weather just a little warmer, these waves could have been a surfer's paradise!

The evening sunlight played on the waves, as they crashed against the rocky beach at Colville, Minnesota. This community was named for Colonel William Colville who led Minnesota troops, at Gettysburg, and returned to settle in the area. 

So much history, and so much beauty, in this beautiful land.....

Yesterday, the rain finally stopped and Lake Superior looked like it was full of millions of glittering diamonds, as the sun bounced against the blue water. The wind seems to blow continuously, bending the trees and covering the ground with the leaves which are changing from green to shades of red and gold. 

We took a drive toward the highest point in Minnesota - Eagle Mountain - 2,301 feet and were awed by the beauty of the fall colors, covering the sides of the foothills.

The road signs directed us to the "Fall Color Tour"....and the picture above, taken from the car, corroborates the sign. The colors of the maples, interspersed with firs, were beautiful, and seem to be more vivid by the day.

Sky Lake, one of Minnesota's 10,000 lakes is dotted with houses, nestled in the trees and coves, around the shoreline. At times, in the snowy winters in this northland, the only mode of transportation is a snowmobile.

The Grand Marais Lighthouse, still active today, was built in 1885, and reconstructed several times - the last time in 1922. The base, unlike many lighthouses, is a steel structure. There was a lighthouse keeper until 1937 when the keeper retired, at age 71.

Today, we'll venture out to view more beautiful reds, of the Lake Superior maples. We've decided that we'll hit the road tomorrow, before more cold rain sets in. There's more to see, in this beautiful land.....
                  

We're "on the road" talking about SMA.....

This is another one of those "stay inside with a good book" days, since it's cloudy, windy and quite chilly.  Lake Superior is white capping, with waves that almost look like they'd be suitable for surfers. Those surfers would need to be in heated wet suits - is there such a thing? Those hardy campers, in tents, certainly have my admiration in this weather.

This is the area of the U.S. where campgrounds, and even stores, begin closing for the winter in mid-to-late October. The tree, beside our RV, seems to have changed overnite, and the golden leaves are now beginning to cover the ground.

Yesterday, there was an SMA Blog Party (you've heard of Block Parties....this was a Blog Party) where bloggers came together to bring awareness about this terrible disease. I missed that event, but didn't want to miss the opportunity to talk about my friend's little granddaughter, Evie, and her illness.

Parts of the following was copied from another blog. It is so well-written, I didn't think I could improve on it....so I borrowed!!

SMA was something I’d never heard of before it affected the family of someone I knew. It is the number ONE genetic killer of very young children.  There is currently no treatment and no cure, but researchers are close. They estimate that with funding they could find a cure in the next five years. So effected families all over are taking it to the streets to raise awareness and funds for the research to find a cure! Just like most of us, these moms and dads brought home happy, healthy, thriving babies, and then down the road received the SMA diagnosis. Can you imagine?

You can watch this video created by another SMA organization, The Gwendolyn Strong Foundation, for a better understanding. What else can we do? See below. Please vote and share this info with everyone you know.

• You can vote once EVERY DAY from now until September 29th at 5 PM EDT
• Go to VoteForSMA.com, select the Gwendolyn Strong Foundation, enter the two security words, check the Official Rules box, and then click “Vote Now!”
• That’s it! It’s really that simple.
• Don’t forget to add your name to the DailyVoteReminder.com list so you don’t miss a $20K vote.
• And…don’t stop there — SHARE!

My friend's granddaughter, beautiful little Evie, will be 4 next week ....on September 21st. Evie was diagnosed with Type 2 SMA at just 18 months. She loves to swim, but needs someone neaby because she's unable to raise her head out of the water, without assistance. Most 4 year olds, are running and playing ....Evie is unable to do that. She is confined to a wheelchair, which enables her to move around. She's a beautiful child, with curly hair and a bright smile. You'd never know there was anything wrong with this special angel.....

Evie's family has formed a non-profit organization, StopSMA, dedicated to raising awareness about SMA, and raising money for SMA research. On October 29, there will be a charity Golf event at Lake Caroline, to benefit SMA. Sign up your team or become a Sponsor today! Contact dsims10@comcast.net for more info.

NASCAR driver, Jimmie Johnson's Foundation - Samsung Helmet of Hope - will award $20,000 to a charity --- based on votes. The Helmet of Hope is a part of the Samsung program to help children, in need. Go to http://www.jimmiejohnsonfoundation.org/Events/Samsung-Helmet-of-Hope/Vote-Samsung-Helmet-of-Hope-For-More.aspx and select the Gwendolyn Strong foundation. Your vote may help SMA win the $$$ necessary to help fight this disease.

All over this beautiful land, there are beautiful people......

Yesterday was our first full day in Grand Marais and was one of those "stay inside with a good book" days. It was cloudy, rainy, windy and cold so we didn't venture outside the RV. Today, we awoke to sunshine and warmth - well, almost warmth, compared to previous days.

Our southern drawl always provokes questions ("where are we from?", "where are we going?", "how long will we be here?" "how close do we live to Kiln?" "do we know Brett Favre?"), as well as suggestions about sites we should see.

We headed up the "Gunflint Trail" this morning - a 57 mile long road on the northeastern corner of Minnesota, near the Canadian border, in the Sawtooth Mountains. The trail inherited the name from the flint rock, used for making gun powder, found in the area. There are many creeks, rivers, lakes, lodges, camp sites, and trails along the trail as well as an abundance of wildlife.

The "Moose Viewing Trail" thru the woods, to the Observation Deck. Along the way, we began to see the changing colors in the trees. We also smelled (but thankfully did not see) a skunk!

The Observation Deck looked down on a marshy area, where the Moose often come to feed. Unfortunately, our timing was off......they had obviously already eaten!!

Just off the foot path , in the woods (no roads for automobiles), an old car had been "stashed". The huge boulder was on top of the trunk. It almost appeared that it had dropped from the sky. Why was it there? How did it get there? The unanswered mystery.....

Just about 6 miles from the Canadian Border, islands in Lake Superior are seen from Grand Portage National Park. In 1958, the Grand Portage band of the Minnesota Chippewa Indians donated the land that became this National Park.

The water, in Lake Superior, is so blue.....it's almost as if someone dumped a load of blue dye into the lake. Along the edges, the bottom of the lake is clearly visible.

High Falls on the Pigeon River, on the Minnesota/Canadian Border, are the highest falls in the state. The falls are in the Grand Portage State Park, and are accessible by a paved pathway, thru the woods. 

                       Another Kodak moment! (An accommodating Russian visitor took our photo.)

    Just more beautiful scenery ....in this beautiful land.......

North to.....almost Canada!!

We arrived in Grand Marais, MN, just 40 miles from the Canadian border, this afternoon ...after a long trek across the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and the northernmost part of Wisconsin....we were actually in the middle of nowhere. Pretty country, but I wouldn't want to live there (especially, in the winter.)

Our most interesting road sign, to date, was in a Wisconsin county. The highway was very good, but was two lanes, with passing lanes for slow traffic (like us) ever so often. The sign warned "Passing should not be attempted if there is oncoming traffic in either lane."

From Duluth, MN northward to Grand Marais, the highway hugged the shoreline of Lake Superior for most of the trip. We noticed that the hardwoods, in this part of the country, had not begun to lose their shades of green as quickly as in northern Michigan and northern Wisconsin.

We are camping close to the shores of Lake Superior and can hear the waves breaking against the shoreline. Tonight, it will be too cool to have windows open to enjoy that peaceful sound.

Sunset, on Lake Superior, the largest of the Great Lakes. At its deepest point, it is 1,300 feet deep. It can

hold the other 4 Great Lakes with 2 extra Lake Eries thrown in! If it flooded, it would cover both North 

and South America with one foot of water!!

Lake Superior is 350 miles in length and 160 miles wide, and it is the cleanest and clearest of all the Great 

Lakes .....with 27 feet underwater visibility, on average, and in some places ....100 feet!

   So many wonderful sights in this beautiful land, of ours!!