Shelbyville, MI

Windmill in Holland, MI

Clubhouse of Hidden Ridge RV Resort in Shelbyville, MI

We've been in Michigan now for 10 days at Hidden Ridge RV Park, about halfway between Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids. This is a beautiful park and we have so enjoyed our stay here. Tom is thrilled with the hot tub because we haven't had much luck finding parks with hot tubs this spring. He misses having his "old man soak" in the evenings. We've spent a quiet time here doing more "at home" things.

Today, Donna is leaving for a four day weekend with her sister, cousin and good friend - an all girl, no husband, no kids, and no pets weekend!!!! While she's gone, Tom is going to be the carefree bachelor of yesteryear and has all kinds of plans - waxing the truck, cleaning the house, cooking, and packing up to leave this area. He's going to try and spare some time to go to a car museum or two and do some sightseeing on his own.

Next week we'll be in the Wisconsin Dells for a week and then on to the west. As always, we're seeking the cooler weather.

Nashville, TN

Riverboat inside Opryland Hotel and Conference Center
Flower with "bird's head" like center

The best part of our time at Nashville was going to the Opryland Hotel and Convention Center. "Wow" is the best word to describe it. We spent several hours there walking around and looking at the beautiful landscaping which is all under a glass roof so it's climate controlled! That was great as it was pretty hot and humid while we were there. Note to anyone planning to go there: they charge $16 to park, however you can park at the Opry Mall and walk a short path over to the hotel for free. We always like free.

No, we didn't go to the Grand Old Opry while we were there but it's always good to save something for another day. We did go to Music Row and check it out and drove around downtown Nashville. It's a neat downtown area.

Now we're in Indiana on our way to Michigan where we'll be spending about 12 days near Kalamazoo. We're looking forward to cooler weather and Donna is going to get to spend some time with her sister, Sally. Tom is going to take some time to explore even more car and air museums! While we're there he's also going to go to Lansing to an Oldsmobile retirees lunch. He's looking forward to seeing some of his old work buddies.

It's all north west travel from here on out. We'll keep you posted on our adventures as we head toward our next big destination of Yellowstone Park.

Pigeon Forge, TN

Cades Coves, Smoky Mountains, TN

We spent a week in Pigeon Forge and it was an interesting busy place. We went to the Comedy Barn one night and it was a family fun show. The actors involve the whole audience so two hours flew by. We spent two days in the mountains exploring Cade's Cove and another cove outside of Gatlinburg. There were wild turkeys, some deer and two small bears. Tom couldn't get a picture of the bears but did of the deer and the turkeys. It was the wrong time of the day to see any other animals. We still like seeing the beautiful scenery and wild life the best. It's fun to have the convenience of the town and the beauty of the wilderness so close together.

While we were there, we met more of our Excel friends. It's always fun and interesting to meet the people face to face that we've met on the Excel forum. We had a nice happy hour with them and shared traveling stories.

Now we're in Nashville and from here we'll head north. It's time to get out the heat! The weather has been in the 90's for the last few days and we like it a little cooler than that. Michigan is our next stop for about 10 days before we head west. We're going to spend the 4th of July in the Wisconsin Dells if it hasn't all washed away in the flooding!

Mount Airy, NC

Barney's Cafe

Pic of Andy, Thelma Lou and Aunt Bea

The REAL Floyd, the barber, eating a "moon pie"!

While we were in Mt. Airy, NC, we did some sightseeing but most of the week Tom waxed the Journey. It's looking very nice and shiny now! So is he! He got a little too much sun, I think, but he'll recover.

During our stay, we invited one of Tom's old work pals up for dinner. He and his wife live in Clemmons which is near Wintson-Salem. Chris and Sandy came to Mt. Airy on Sunday and we had a great afternoon and evening catching up on old friends and learning more about our current situations. I think seeing us old retirees made them more anxious to retire and hit the road. We'd love to see them in our travels.

We spent a day driving some of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Unfortunately, it rained, but we still had a good time. What a beautiful area that is. Tom really got a kick out of going to downtown Mt. Airy and immersing himself in the past. For those of you who don't know, Mt. Airy is where Andy Griffith was raised and his show, Mayberry, was patterned after the town. There are all kinds of places that commemorate the show. Tom even paid a visit to Floyd's Barbershop.

Donna spent the week doing a few household chores and just enjoying having some down time. As much fun as it is to see all the sights and travel around the country, even the best traveler needs some time to regroup.

Julia (our granddaughter) is on her first camping/canoeing trip this week with her parents, Beth and Jim. I'm sure she's very excited and they will have a lot of fun in northern California. We are really looking forward to seeing her in the not too distant future. She's growing up so fast.

Tomorrow we're off to check out the lay of the land and see what mischief we can get in to. More news soon!