Carol and I have nearly completed a cross-country and back journey. As I write this, we are staying in a lovely campground in the North Platte Wildlife Management Area.  Getting to this point was challenging to say the least.  We expect to be home in a few days.  

It has been, in a word, interesting. Our trip started with a visit to two national parks we had previously visited, Black Canyon of the Gunnison and then Great Sand Dunes, both in Colorado.  Made a couple of nice photos, which was the point of our stopping by there again.  

Then it was off to Fort Worth to visit friends.  We ended up staying a couple of extra days there, waiting out Hurricane Francine.  We were supposed to visit Carol’s Cajun Cousins near Lafayette, but the storm had other plans for us.  I guess it was a good thing we had the extra time in Fort Worth, our camper’s fridge died, so we had it replaced in Fort Worth.  We made it to Louisiana a few days late, but because of the shifting schedule, our get-together was modest.  Oh, and the tongue jack for the trailer died.  Good thing I carry a High-Lift jack on the truck.  

We managed to get back on schedule and spent a couple of days at the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia.  I tell everyone that I wanted to go there because I like saying Okefenokee. Try it, it’s fun.  It was a nice visit, and a couple of nice photos to boot.  We met Jenny Sweat of Okefenokee & Satilla Expeditions.  She is the owner and a naturalist, and a licensed, certified guide.  I recommend anyone traveling to the Okefenokee seek her out.  She gives a great tour. She is passionate about the swamp and is a wellspring of knowledge.  

From there, it was a short trip to Jekyll Island ,Georgia to visit another friend.  A nice visit, but too short.  Carol and I made a couple of nice photos on Driftwood Beach, a popular spot for photos.  The “famous” tree has fallen down, so pictures will be different now.  We were waiting for the “super full moon” to rise, knowing the exact time and location.  What we did not count on was the cloud bank in the distance we could not see, so the moon did not become visible for another 30 minutes or so and was well above the horizon when it finally made its appearance. 

So far so good.  From here, off to another national park, Congaree in South Carolina.  It is one of the newest national parks.  It is lovely.  We cut our visit there short, as my mother was having some credit card issues.  Her issues could have been a foretelling of what was to come.  She lives in Banner Elk, North Carolina, one of the towns devastated by Hurricane Helene.  She is presently without water or power but indicates via infrequent text messages that she is OK and her building suffered only minor damage.  

We left a couple of days before the storm arrived, having no idea of its eventual impact on the area.  By the time we realized how bad things would get, we were in St. Louis after another stop at Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky.  It’s also great park.  Over 400 miles of documented caves, many which are accessible via many different tours the Park Service runs.  It also has lovely hikes above ground.  

As I write this, there are less than 8 hours of driving to get home. Looking forward to it. Being gone for a month is a long time.  We miss the dog. We miss our bed. We miss seeing the fall color start to arrive in the mountains.  I am thankful that my mother is mostly OK, especially compared to many of her neighbors. 

Donate to the Red Cross or other on the ground organizations to help North Carolinians recover from one of the worst disasters the state has ever experienced.

I expect one of my siblings or I may have to get on a plane to North Carolina, once the initial recovery work is completed and my mother has taken a physical and emotional inventory. 

As always, thanks for stopping by.